2000
#610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 50,577
First available Census row
Per 100,000 18.75
Uncommon Last name
Hodge
An English occupational surname referring to a farm laborer or peasant farmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 58,139 Americans carry the last name Hodge. That puts it at #655 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 16.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,895 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hodge 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 Hodge with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
58K
1 in 5,895
Census rank
#655
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
17.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
51K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 50,700 bearers of the surname Hodge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 16.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 655th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hodge, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (24.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hodge
The surname Hodge originated in England as an occupational name derived from the Old English word 'hog', meaning a young sheep or lamb. It was initially given to individuals who tended to hogs or sheep, likely referring to a shepherd or someone responsible for caring for these animals.
The earliest recorded instances of the Hodge surname can be traced back to the 13th century. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, a census taken during the reign of King Edward I, listed a Richard Hogge residing in Oxfordshire. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 also mentioned a John Hogge.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, including Hogge, Hog, and Hogg, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations of the time. The Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379 recorded a William Hogge, while the Poll Tax Returns of Lincolnshire in 1381 mentioned a Thomas Hogge.
As the surname evolved over time, it took on various spellings, such as Hodge, Hodges, and Hodgson. The Hearth Tax Returns of 1674 listed a John Hodge residing in Bedfordshire, while the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1524 included a Thomas Hodges.
One notable individual bearing the Hodge surname was Walter Hodges (1599-1660), an English officer who served as Governor of Antigua and fought in the English Civil War. Another prominent figure was Sir Benjamin Hodges (1638-1713), an English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for several constituencies.
Other individuals of historical significance include John Hodge (1779-1856), a British architect responsible for designing various buildings in London, and Thomas Hodge (1829-1900), an English cricketer who played for Kent County Cricket Club in the 19th century.
The Hodge surname also has ties to various place names in England, such as Hodge Hill in Birmingham and Hodge Fold in Lancashire, further solidifying its historical roots in the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hodge
Among Census respondents with the surname Hodge, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (24.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hodge 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 Hodge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.4% · 33,176
- Black or African American24.6% · 12,486
- Two or more races4.8% · 2,437
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 1,980
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 311
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 310
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hodge
Hodge 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
#643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 52,920
+2,343 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 17.94
Rank movement Down 33 places
2020
#655
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 50,700
-2,220 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 16.96
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #610 | 50,577 | 18.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #643 | 52,920 | 17.94 | +2,343 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 33 places |
| 2020 | #655 | 50,700 | 16.96 | -2,220 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 12 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 Hodge 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 | #643 | #655 | -1.9% |
| Count | 52,920 | 50,700 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 17.94 | 16.96 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hodge bearers went from 52,920 to 50,700 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #643 to #655.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hodge
FAQ
Hodge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hodge?
Name Census estimates that about 58,139 living Americans carry the surname Hodge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,895 residents.
How common is Hodge?
Hodge ranks #655 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 16.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 17 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 50,700 people with the surname Hodge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (58,139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 16.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 16.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 17 of them to have the surname Hodge.
Has Hodge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hodge went from 52,920 recorded bearers to 50,700. That is a decrease of 2,220 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #643 to #655.
What does the Census say about the background of Hodge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hodge, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (24.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Hodge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.4% (33,176 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hodge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.4%), Black (24.6%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Hodge (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 Hodge mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a farm laborer or peasant farmer. 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 Hodge (16.96 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 common is the surname Hodge?
Find out how many people have the surname Hodge on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.