2000
#566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 53,737
First available Census row
Per 100,000 19.92
Uncommon Last name
Hood
An occupational surname referring to someone who made hoods or lived near a hood-shaped hill or mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 60,083 Americans carry the last name Hood. That puts it at #628 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 17.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 5,705 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hood 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 Hood with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
60K
1 in 5,705
Census rank
#628
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
17.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
52K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 52,395 bearers of the surname Hood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 17.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 628th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hood, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hood
The surname HOOD is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "hod," meaning a hood or cowl. It likely originated as an occupational name for a maker or seller of hoods, or as a nickname for someone who frequently wore a hood.
Early records of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hod" in various counties across England. The Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1176 include a reference to a "Roger Hood," suggesting the name's use in medieval times.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Robin Hood, the legendary English folk hero from the late 12th century. While his existence remains debated, tales of his exploits in Sherwood Forest have made him a iconic figure in English folklore.
In the 13th century, the name is found in various records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mentions a "William le Hod" in Oxfordshire. The Placita de Quo Warranto of 1293 includes a "Richard Hod" from Yorkshire.
Notable individuals with the surname HOOD throughout history include:
1. Thomas Hood (1799-1845), an English poet and author known for his works such as "The Song of the Shirt" and "The Bridge of Sighs."
2. Samuel Hood (1724-1816), a British naval officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
3. John Bell Hood (1831-1879), a Confederate general during the American Civil War, known for his role in the Atlanta Campaign and the Franklin-Nashville Campaign.
4. Raymond M. Hood (1881-1934), an American architect best known for designing the iconic Rockefeller Center in New York City.
5. Andrew Hood (1775-1858), an American politician who served as the 6th Governor of Connecticut from 1835 to 1838.
The name HOOD has also been associated with various place names, such as Hood River in Oregon, named after a British sailor, and Hood County in Texas, named after the Confederate general John Bell Hood.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hood
Among Census respondents with the surname Hood, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hood 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 Hood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.5% · 37,478
- Black or African American19.5% · 10,225
- Two or more races4.2% · 2,197
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,685
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 499
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 311
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hood
Hood 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
#616
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 55,174
+1,437 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 18.70
Rank movement Down 50 places
2020
#628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 52,395
-2,779 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 17.53
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #566 | 53,737 | 19.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #616 | 55,174 | 18.70 | +1,437 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 50 places |
| 2020 | #628 | 52,395 | 17.53 | -2,779 bearers (-5.0%) | 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 Hood 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 | #616 | #628 | -1.9% |
| Count | 55,174 | 52,395 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 18.70 | 17.53 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hood bearers went from 55,174 to 52,395 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #616 to #628.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hood
FAQ
Hood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hood?
Name Census estimates that about 60,083 living Americans carry the surname Hood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 5,705 residents.
How common is Hood?
Hood ranks #628 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 17.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 18 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 52,395 people with the surname Hood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (60,083), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 17.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 17.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 18 of them to have the surname Hood.
Has Hood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hood went from 55,174 recorded bearers to 52,395. That is a decrease of 2,779 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #616 to #628.
What does the Census say about the background of Hood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hood, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Black (19.5%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Hood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.5% (37,478 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.5%), Black (19.5%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Hood (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 Hood mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who made hoods or lived near a hood-shaped hill or mountain. 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 Hood (17.53 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 have the surname Hood?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.