2000
#2,748
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,050
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.47
Uncommon Last name
Hopson
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Hob, a medieval diminutive of Robert, meaning "bright fame."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,344 Americans carry the last name Hopson. That puts it at #3,020 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 25,686 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hopson 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 Hopson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 25,686
Census rank
#3,020
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,637 bearers of the surname Hopson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3020th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hopson, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Black (41.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hopson
The surname Hopson is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "hop" and "sunu," meaning "son of the hop grower" or "son of the hop seller." This occupational surname first emerged in the late 12th century in regions of England where hop cultivation was common, such as Kent, Sussex, and Hampshire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hopson can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex from 1195, where a certain William Hopson is mentioned as a taxpayer. The surname also appears in the Assize Rolls of Kent from 1265, referencing a Thomas Hopson residing in the county.
During the medieval period, the name was sometimes spelled variations such as Hopesone, Hopsun, and Hopsoun, reflecting the fluidity of spelling conventions at the time. It is believed that the Hopson family may have been among the early settlers in the village of Hopesay in Shropshire, which likely derived its name from the Old English words "hop" and "sæte," meaning "hop settlers."
Notable individuals with the surname Hopson throughout history include:
1. John Hopson (c. 1510-1580), an English Protestant reformer and clergyman who served as the Bishop of Norwich.
2. Ralph Hopson (c. 1570-1632), an English composer and lutenist known for his contributions to the English madrigal tradition.
3. William Hopson (1787-1853), an American educator and minister who established the Hopson Academy in Milledgeville, Georgia, one of the first schools for girls in the state.
4. Mary Hopson (1849-1927), an American educator and activist who founded the Hopson's Labor College in Knoxville, Tennessee, which aimed to provide educational opportunities for working-class individuals.
5. George Hopson (1876-1949), a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the former Savoy Theatre and the Gaiety Theatre.
While the origins of the Hopson surname can be traced back to medieval England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions across various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hopson
Among Census respondents with the surname Hopson, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Black (41.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hopson 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 Hopson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.2% · 5,721
- Black or African American41.1% · 4,780
- Two or more races4.8% · 564
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 323
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 202
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 47
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hopson
Hopson 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
#2,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,180
+130 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 4.13
Rank movement Down 198 places
2020
#3,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,637
-543 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 3.89
Rank movement Down 74 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,748 | 12,050 | 4.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,946 | 12,180 | 4.13 | +130 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 198 places |
| 2020 | #3,020 | 11,637 | 3.89 | -543 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 74 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 Hopson 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 | #2,946 | #3,020 | -2.5% |
| Count | 12,180 | 11,637 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 4.13 | 3.89 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hopson bearers went from 12,180 to 11,637 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 74 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,946 to #3,020.
FAQ
Hopson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hopson?
Name Census estimates that about 13,344 living Americans carry the surname Hopson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 25,686 residents.
How common is Hopson?
Hopson ranks #3,020 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,637 people with the surname Hopson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,344), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Hopson.
Has Hopson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hopson went from 12,180 recorded bearers to 11,637. That is a decrease of 543 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,946 to #3,020.
What does the Census say about the background of Hopson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hopson, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.2%. The next largest groups are Black (41.1%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Hopson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.2% (5,721 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hopson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.2%), Black (41.1%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Hopson (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 Hopson mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Hob, a medieval diminutive of Robert, meaning "bright fame." 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 Hopson (3.89 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 are called Hopson?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Hopson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.