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

Hodges, 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 Hodges surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hodges in America

Hodges is the 471st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hodges surname appeared 70,223 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 24 people would have the surname Hodges.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hodges 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.

The history of the last name Hodges

The surname Hodges has English origins and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is a topographic name derived from the Old English word "hoccer", meaning someone who lived near a small hill or ridge.

The name was first found in the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Dorset in the south-west of England. It is believed to have been adopted as a hereditary surname in the 11th or 12th century, following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Richard Hodges in the county of Somerset. Other early references include Willelmus Hodges, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1195, and Robert le Hodges, listed in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273.

The surname has various spellings throughout history, including Hodge, Hodges, Hodgis, and Hoggis. It is also linked to some place names, such as Hodges Green in Hertfordshire and Hodges Farm in Gloucestershire.

Notable historical figures with the surname Hodges include Sir William Hodges (1744-1797), an English painter and explorer who accompanied Captain Cook on his second voyage to the Pacific. Another prominent bearer was Nathaniel Hodges (1629-1688), an English physician and writer who published works on medical subjects.

Other individuals of note include James Hodges (1786-1859), an English landscape painter, and Walter Hodges (1798-1882), an English author and clergyman. In more recent times, Sir Alastair Hodges (1920-1995) was a British diplomat and ambassador to several countries, including the United States and France.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hodges

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

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 Hodges was:

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 Hodges has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Hodges was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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