2000
#2,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,517
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.12
Uncommon Last name
Hobson
An English occupational surname for someone who made or sold hose or leggings.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,924 Americans carry the last name Hobson. That puts it at #2,139 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,112 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hobson surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hobson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,112
Census rank
#2,139
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,503 bearers of the surname Hobson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2139th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hobson, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hobson
The surname Hobson originated in England, deriving from the Old English words "hob" meaning a pony or small horse, and "son" denoting a descendant or son. It was an occupational surname given to those who worked with horses, likely handlers, trainers, or breeders.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hobbessune" in the county of Yorkshire. This region, particularly around the areas of Leeds and Bradford, became a stronghold for the Hobson name over the centuries.
In the 13th century, records show a Richard Hobson held lands in the village of Halton, near Leeds. A century later, in 1379, the Poll Tax Returns mention a John Hobson residing in Pontefract, Yorkshire.
A notable figure bearing the Hobson surname was Thomas Hobson, a carrier and inn-keeper from Cambridge, who lived from 1544 to 1631. His strict policy of renting out horses in a rotating order, regardless of preference, gave rise to the phrase "Hobson's choice" – meaning no real choice at all.
Another prominent Hobson was Captain William Hobson, who served as the first Governor of New Zealand from 1840 to 1842. He played a crucial role in establishing British sovereignty over the islands through the Treaty of Waitangi.
In the literary world, Ralph Hobson (1655-1712) was an English playwright and author, best known for his comedy "The Virtuoso" staged in 1676.
The name also had a presence in the American colonies, with Edward Hobson (1616-1708) being one of the earliest settlers in Rhode Island, arriving in 1637 from England.
Another notable American bearing the Hobson name was Richmond Pearson Hobson (1870-1937), a celebrated naval officer who gained fame for his daring attempt to sink the USS Merrimac in the harbor of Santiago, Cuba, during the Spanish-American War.
While the Hobson surname initially held occupational connotations, it eventually became associated with places like Hobson's Conduit in Cambridge and Hobson's Bay in Australia, further cementing its widespread recognition.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hobson
Among Census respondents with the surname Hobson, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hobson bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Hobson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.9% · 10,883
- Black or African American24.4% · 4,034
- Two or more races4.6% · 761
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 519
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 180
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 126
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hobson
Hobson appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,128
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,043
+526 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 5.78
Rank movement Down 117 places
2020
#2,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,503
-540 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 5.52
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,011 | 16,517 | 6.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,128 | 17,043 | 5.78 | +526 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 117 places |
| 2020 | #2,139 | 16,503 | 5.52 | -540 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 11 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Hobson surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,128 | #2,139 | -0.5% |
| Count | 17,043 | 16,503 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 5.78 | 5.52 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hobson bearers went from 17,043 to 16,503 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,128 to #2,139.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hobson
FAQ
Hobson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hobson?
Name Census estimates that about 18,924 living Americans carry the surname Hobson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,112 residents.
How common is Hobson?
Hobson ranks #2,139 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,503 people with the surname Hobson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,924), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Hobson.
Has Hobson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hobson went from 17,043 recorded bearers to 16,503. That is a decrease of 540 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,128 to #2,139.
What does the Census say about the background of Hobson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hobson, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.9%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hobson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.9% (10,883 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hobson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.9%), Black (24.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Hobson (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Hobson mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who made or sold hose or leggings. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Hobson (5.52 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Hobson?
Find out how many people have the last name Hobson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.