2000
#113,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hotson
An English surname derived from a diminutive form of the given name "Richard".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Hotson. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hotson 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 Hotson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Hotson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hotson, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hotson
The surname Hotson is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "hoth" meaning "heel" and "son," a common suffix denoting "son of." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who had a distinctive heel or gait.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hotson can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1273, where a Walter Hodsone is mentioned. This document, which contains records of landowners in various counties, provides evidence of the name's existence in the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, a collection of legal records from the Yorkshire region. Here, a Richard Hodson is listed as a tenant in 1349.
The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 also contain an entry for a John Hotson, indicating the presence of the name in the West Midlands area during this time period.
One notable bearer of the Hotson surname was Robert Hotson, a 16th-century English scholar and theologian. Born in Yorkshire in 1552, he studied at Oxford University and later became a fellow of Corpus Christi College. Hotson is known for his contributions to theological works and debates during the Protestant Reformation.
Another historically significant individual with the Hotson name was Sir John Hotson, a 17th-century English politician and landowner. Born in Lincolnshire in 1610, he served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Grantham and was involved in local government affairs.
In the 18th century, the name Hotson can be found in the parish records of Staffordshire, where a Thomas Hotson is recorded as marrying Mary Smith in 1743 in the village of Abbots Bromley.
The surname Hotson also has connections to the town of Hotson, located in the East Riding of Yorkshire. This place name, which shares its etymology with the surname, likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name in that region.
Other notable individuals bearing the Hotson surname include William Hotson, a 19th-century British artist known for his landscapes and portraiture, who was born in London in 1825 and exhibited at the Royal Academy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hotson
Among Census respondents with the surname Hotson, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hotson 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 Hotson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.8% · 90
- Black or African American5.5% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hotson
Hotson 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
#113,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 155
+12 bearers (+8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 364 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-45 bearers (-29.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 36,291 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #113,519 | 143 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #113,155 | 155 | 0.05 | +12 bearers (+8.4%) | Up 364 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -45 bearers (-29.0%) | Down 36,291 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 Hotson 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 | #113,155 | #149,446 | -32.1% |
| Count | 155 | 110 | -29.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -26.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hotson bearers went from 155 to 110 (-29.0% change). The surname moved down 36,291 positions in the national ranking, going from #113,155 to #149,446.
FAQ
Hotson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hotson?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Hotson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Hotson?
Hotson ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Hotson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hotson.
Has Hotson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hotson went from 155 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 45 (-29.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #113,155 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Hotson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hotson, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.5%) and Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Hotson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hotson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.8%), Black (5.5%), Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Hotson (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 Hotson mean?
An English surname derived from a diminutive form of the given name "Richard". 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 Hotson (0.04 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 Hotson?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Hotson on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.