2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hotten
An English locational surname derived from a place name in Staffordshire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Hotten. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hotten 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 Hotten with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Hotten in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hotten, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Hispanic (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hotten
The surname Hotten originates from England and is believed to have derived from the Old English words "hoh" meaning "heel" and "tun" meaning "farmstead" or "settlement." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a settlement located on a heel-shaped hill or ridge.
The earliest recorded mention of the surname Hotten can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hotune" in reference to a location in Worcestershire. This entry provides evidence that the name was already established in England during the 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name was recorded as "Hotton" in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, indicating a variation in spelling during that time period. The Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327 also mention the name "Hotton," further solidifying its presence in various regions of England.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the surname Hotten was William Hotten, born around 1350 in Nottinghamshire. He was a prominent landowner and is mentioned in several historical records from the late 14th century.
In the 16th century, the surname Hotten is associated with the place name "Hutton," which was derived from the Old English words "hoh" and "tun." This connection suggests that some families with the surname Hotten may have originated from or resided in areas known as Hutton.
A notable figure in history with the surname Hotten was John Camden Hotten, born in 1832 and died in 1873. He was an English publisher and writer known for his contributions to the study of early English literature and slang.
Another prominent individual was Sir Charles Hotten, born in 1859 and died in 1941. He was a British diplomat and served as the British Ambassador to Russia from 1916 to 1918.
In the field of literature, John Hotten, born in 1815 and died in 1879, was an English writer and publisher known for his works on the history of literature and his contributions to the study of slang.
The surname Hotten has also been associated with the family of William Hotten, born in 1802 and died in 1878. He was an English publisher and bookseller who specialized in rare and antiquarian books.
Another notable figure was Sir Arthur Hotten, born in 1871 and died in 1953. He was a British civil servant and served as the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies from 1920 to 1924.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hotten
Among Census respondents with the surname Hotten, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Hispanic (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hotten 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 Hotten surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.0% · 79
- Black or African American15.4% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hotten
Hotten 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,612 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-6 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,195 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 12,612 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 4,195 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 Hotten 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 | #149,395 | #153,590 | -2.8% |
| Count | 110 | 104 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hotten bearers went from 110 to 104 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 4,195 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #153,590.
FAQ
Hotten surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hotten?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Hotten. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Hotten?
Hotten ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Hotten. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Hotten.
Has Hotten become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hotten went from 110 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Hotten?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hotten, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.4%) and Hispanic (5.8%). 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 Hotten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.0% (79 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hotten appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.0%), Black (15.4%), Hispanic (5.8%). 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 Hotten (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 Hotten mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name in Staffordshire. 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 Hotten (0.03 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 share the surname Hotten?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.