2000
#10,851
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,696
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Hopwood
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a small, enclosed wood or someone from Hopwood, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,129 Americans carry the last name Hopwood. That puts it at #11,100 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 109,541 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hopwood 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 Hopwood with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 109,541
Census rank
#11,100
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,729 bearers of the surname Hopwood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11100th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hopwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hopwood
The surname HOPWOOD is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have originated in the county of Lancashire, England. The name is derived from the Old English words "hop" meaning "valley" and "wudu" meaning "wood", thus translating to "the wood in the valley".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the HOPWOOD surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from 1202, where a Robert de Hopwode is mentioned as a landowner. The name also appears in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1246, referring to a William de Hopwode.
During the Middle Ages, the HOPWOOD family held lands and properties in various parts of Lancashire, particularly around the areas of Middleton and Rochdale. The name is closely associated with the township of Hopwood, which likely derived its name from the surname itself.
In the 13th century, the HOPWOOD family was involved in a legal dispute over land ownership, which is documented in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1275. This record mentions Adam de Hopwode and his claims to certain lands in the vicinity of Rochdale.
One of the earliest notable figures with the HOPWOOD surname was John Hopwood (1610-1679), an English landowner and member of Parliament who represented Lancashire during the English Civil War. He was a staunch Royalist and supported King Charles I.
Another prominent HOPWOOD was Sir John Hopwood (1682-1753), a British lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer from 1746 until his death. He was highly respected for his legal expertise and impartiality on the bench.
In the 18th century, Reverend Henry Hopwood (1717-1784) was an English clergyman and author who wrote several theological works, including "Sermons on Various Subjects" and "An Explanation of the Lord's Prayer".
During the Victorian era, Charles Henry Hopwood (1829-1904) was a successful industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Hopwood Cotton Spinning Company in Lancashire. He played a significant role in the growth of the textile industry in the region.
In the field of literature, Francis Hopwood (1860-1946) was a British author and poet known for his works such as "The Pilgrim in England" and "The Old Road to Paradise". He was also a prominent figure in the literary circles of his time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hopwood
Among Census respondents with the surname Hopwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hopwood 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 Hopwood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.6% · 2,199
- Black or African American9.2% · 252
- Two or more races4.7% · 127
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 116
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hopwood
Hopwood 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
#11,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,875
+179 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 206 places
2020
#11,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,729
-146 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Down 43 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,851 | 2,696 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,057 | 2,875 | 0.97 | +179 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 206 places |
| 2020 | #11,100 | 2,729 | 0.91 | -146 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 43 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 Hopwood 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 | #11,057 | #11,100 | -0.4% |
| Count | 2,875 | 2,729 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.91 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hopwood bearers went from 2,875 to 2,729 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 43 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,057 to #11,100.
FAQ
Hopwood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hopwood?
Name Census estimates that about 3,129 living Americans carry the surname Hopwood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 109,541 residents.
How common is Hopwood?
Hopwood ranks #11,100 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,729 people with the surname Hopwood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,129), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Hopwood.
Has Hopwood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hopwood went from 2,875 recorded bearers to 2,729. That is a decrease of 146 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,057 to #11,100.
What does the Census say about the background of Hopwood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hopwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.2%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Hopwood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.6% (2,199 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hopwood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.6%), Black (9.2%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Hopwood (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 Hopwood mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a small, enclosed wood or someone from Hopwood, England. 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 Hopwood (0.91 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 Hopwood?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.