2000
#1,988
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,710
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.19
Uncommon Last name
Hope
A surname derived from the Old English word "hop," referring to someone who lived in a valley or enclosed hollow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 19,663 Americans carry the last name Hope. That puts it at #2,057 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 17,431 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hope 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 Hope with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 17,431
Census rank
#2,057
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,147 bearers of the surname Hope in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2057th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hope, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hope
The surname Hope has its origins in England, with records dating back to the late 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "hop," which referred to a small valley or hollow. It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, given to individuals who lived in or near such a valley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Hampshire in 1195, where a William de la Hope is mentioned. This early spelling, "de la Hope," indicates the surname's origins as a locational name, meaning "from the valley."
The surname Hope is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive record of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this historical document, the name appears as "Hopa" and is associated with various locations across the country.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname began to appear in various forms, such as "Atte Hope," "Atten Hope," and "Aten Hope." These variations suggest the name's evolution and adaptation over time, reflecting regional dialects and spelling preferences.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Hope, a Scottish soldier and landowner who lived in the late 14th and early 15th centuries. He played a significant role in the Wars of Scottish Independence and was a close ally of King Robert the Bruce.
Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Hope (1573-1646), a Scottish lawyer and Lord Advocate of Scotland. He was known for his legal treatises and his role in the Scottish Reformation.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Hope family became influential in the Netherlands, where they established a successful banking dynasty. Henry Hope (1736-1811) was a prominent Dutch merchant banker and one of the wealthiest men in Europe during his time.
The name also has connections to the Arts and Literature. John Hope (1737-1784) was a Scottish botanist and Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, while Thomas Hope (1770-1831) was a renowned English novelist, artist, and collector.
In the realm of sports, Jack Hope (1882-1963) was an English professional footballer who played for several clubs, including Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday, in the early 20th century.
These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and achievements associated with the surname Hope throughout history, highlighting its enduring presence across various fields and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hope
Among Census respondents with the surname Hope, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hope 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 Hope surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.5% · 11,236
- Black or African American24.2% · 4,143
- Two or more races4.4% · 750
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 713
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 190
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 115
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hope
Hope 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
#2,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,562
+852 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 5.95
Rank movement Down 64 places
2020
#2,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,147
-415 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 5.74
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,988 | 16,710 | 6.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,052 | 17,562 | 5.95 | +852 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 64 places |
| 2020 | #2,057 | 17,147 | 5.74 | -415 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 5 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 Hope 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 | #2,052 | #2,057 | -0.2% |
| Count | 17,562 | 17,147 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.95 | 5.74 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hope bearers went from 17,562 to 17,147 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,052 to #2,057.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hope
FAQ
Hope surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hope?
Name Census estimates that about 19,663 living Americans carry the surname Hope. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 17,431 residents.
How common is Hope?
Hope ranks #2,057 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.74 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,147 people with the surname Hope. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (19,663), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.74 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Hope.
Has Hope become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hope went from 17,562 recorded bearers to 17,147. That is a decrease of 415 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,052 to #2,057.
What does the Census say about the background of Hope?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hope, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.5%. The next largest groups are Black (24.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Hope in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.5% (11,236 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hope appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.5%), Black (24.2%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Hope (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 Hope mean?
A surname derived from the Old English word "hop," referring to someone who lived in a valley or enclosed hollow. 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 Hope (5.74 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 Hope?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.