Hodge last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Hodge is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hodge.

Meaning of Hodge

An English occupational surname referring to a farm laborer or peasant farmer.

Hodge, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hodge surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hodge in America

Hodge is the 643rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hodge surname appeared 52,920 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 18 people would have the surname Hodge.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hodge to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 643 610 5.27%
Count 52,920 50,577 4.53%
Proportion per 100k 17.94 18.75 -4.42%

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hodge

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hodge.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hodge was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 68.67% 36,340
Non-Hispanic Black Only 24.92% 13,188
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.43% 228
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.65% 344
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.43% 1,286
Hispanic Origin 2.90% 1,535

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hodge has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 68.67% 71.10% -3.48%
Black 24.92% 24.27% 2.64%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.43% 0.38% 12.35%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.65% 0.62% 4.72%
Two or More Races 2.43% 1.73% 33.65%
Hispanic 2.90% 1.89% 42.17%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hodge was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hodge, please contact us.

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"Hodge last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 2, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/hodge-surname-popularity/.

"Hodge last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/hodge-surname-popularity/. Accessed 2 December, 2024

Hodge last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/hodge-surname-popularity/.

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