2000
#12,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,274
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Hoisington
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Hōh's settlement" or "settlement on the spur of a hill."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,729 Americans carry the last name Hoisington. That puts it at #12,448 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 125,597 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoisington 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.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 125,597
Census rank
#12,448
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,380 bearers of the surname Hoisington in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12448th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoisington, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoisington
The surname HOISINGTON has its origins in England, tracing back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "hoh" meaning "heel" and "ing" denoting a meadow or enclosure, suggesting it may have originated as a place name referring to a meadow with a distinct shape or feature.
Early records indicate that the name was initially spelled in various forms, such as Hoisinton, Hoysinton, and Hoysington, before settling on the current spelling of HOISINGTON. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the parish records of Staffordshire, England, where a John Hoisinton was recorded in 1587.
During the 17th century, the HOISINGTON name appeared in several historical documents, including the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1662, which listed a Thomas Hoisington as a resident of Warwickshire. Additionally, the name was mentioned in the Protestation Returns of 1641-1642, a record of individuals pledging allegiance to the Protestant religion.
In the 18th century, the HOISINGTON family spread across various regions of England, with notable individuals such as William HOISINGTON (1712-1788), a respected farmer and landowner in Gloucestershire. Another prominent figure was Sarah HOISINGTON (1734-1801), a philanthropist and patron of the arts in Yorkshire.
As the HOISINGTON name continued to evolve, it became associated with certain place names in England, such as Hoisington Hall in Derbyshire and Hoisington Manor in Shropshire. These locations may have been named after early members of the HOISINGTON family or derived from the same linguistic roots as the surname itself.
Notable individuals bearing the HOISINGTON surname include:
1. John HOISINGTON (1602-1675), a successful merchant and landowner in Oxfordshire.
2. Elizabeth HOISINGTON (1648-1721), a renowned herbalist and midwife in Lincolnshire.
3. Thomas HOISINGTON (1718-1792), a prominent lawyer and judge in London.
4. William HOISINGTON (1772-1846), a respected scholar and educator in Cambridge.
5. Mary HOISINGTON (1804-1879), a pioneering advocate for women's rights and education in Bristol.
While the HOISINGTON surname may have originated as a place name, it has since become a distinct and recognized family name, with a rich history spanning several centuries in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoisington
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoisington, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoisington 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 Hoisington surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 2,122
- Two or more races4.5% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 85
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 32
- Black or African American1.0% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoisington
Hoisington 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
#12,460
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,491
+217 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Up 39 places
2020
#12,448
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,380
-111 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,499 | 2,274 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,460 | 2,491 | 0.84 | +217 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 39 places |
| 2020 | #12,448 | 2,380 | 0.80 | -111 bearers (-4.5%) | Up 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 Hoisington 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 | #12,460 | #12,448 | 0.1% |
| Count | 2,491 | 2,380 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.80 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoisington bearers went from 2,491 to 2,380 (-4.5% change). The surname moved up 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,460 to #12,448.
FAQ
Hoisington surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoisington?
Name Census estimates that about 2,729 living Americans carry the surname Hoisington. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 125,597 residents.
How common is Hoisington?
Hoisington ranks #12,448 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,380 people with the surname Hoisington. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,729), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hoisington.
Has Hoisington become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoisington went from 2,491 recorded bearers to 2,380. That is a decrease of 111 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,460 to #12,448.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoisington?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoisington, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Hoisington in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (2,122 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoisington appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Hoisington (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 Hoisington mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "Hōh's settlement" or "settlement on the spur of a hill." 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 Hoisington (0.80 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 Americans have the surname Hoisington?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.