2000
#76,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 232
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Hotton
A surname possibly derived from a place name or referring to someone living near a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 276 Americans carry the last name Hotton. That puts it at #83,936 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,241,864 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hotton 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 Hotton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
276
1 in 1,241,864
Census rank
#83,936
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
241
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 241 bearers of the surname Hotton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 83936th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hotton, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hotton
The surname Hotton has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the place name "Hotton" or "Hoton," which referred to several different locations across the country. These place names are thought to have originated from the Old English words "hot" and "tun," meaning "hot or warm" and "enclosure or settlement," respectively.
One of the earliest known references to the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Derbyshire from 1176, which mention a person named William de Hotun. Another early record is from the Curia Regis Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1199, where a Richard de Hotun is listed.
The Hundred Rolls of 1273 contain several entries related to the surname, including John de Hotton in Oxfordshire and Walter de Hotton in Cambridgeshire. This suggests that the name was well-established across various regions of England by the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 mention a John de Hotton, while the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1332 list a Thomas de Hoton. These records provide evidence of the surname's continued presence and variation in spelling during this period.
One notable bearer of the Hotton surname was Sir John Hotton, a knight who lived in the late 14th century. He served as a member of Parliament for Nottinghamshire in 1390 and 1395. Another individual of note was Richard Hotton, who was appointed as the Mayor of Coventry in 1432.
The Hearth Tax Rolls of 1665 and the Poll Tax Returns of 1379 also contain several references to individuals with the surname Hotton or similar spellings, such as Hotten and Hoton, further demonstrating the name's longevity and geographic spread across England.
It is worth noting that the place name "Hotton" or "Hoton" has been recorded in various counties, including Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Staffordshire, among others. This suggests that the surname may have originated independently in multiple locations before spreading to other areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hotton
Among Census respondents with the surname Hotton, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hotton 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 Hotton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.1% · 210
- Black or African American6.2% · 15
- Two or more races2.9% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.1% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hotton
Hotton 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
#101,737
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 177
-55 bearers (-23.7%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 24,791 places
2020
#83,936
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 241
+64 bearers (+36.2%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 17,801 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #76,946 | 232 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #101,737 | 177 | 0.06 | -55 bearers (-23.7%) | Down 24,791 places |
| 2020 | #83,936 | 241 | 0.08 | +64 bearers (+36.2%) | Up 17,801 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 Hotton 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 | #101,737 | #83,936 | 17.5% |
| Count | 177 | 241 | 36.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.08 | 34.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hotton bearers went from 177 to 241 (+36.2% change). The surname moved up 17,801 positions in the national ranking, going from #101,737 to #83,936.
FAQ
Hotton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hotton?
Name Census estimates that about 276 living Americans carry the surname Hotton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,241,864 residents.
How common is Hotton?
Hotton ranks #83,936 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 241 people with the surname Hotton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (276), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Hotton.
Has Hotton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hotton went from 177 recorded bearers to 241. That is an increase of 64 (+36.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #101,737 to #83,936.
What does the Census say about the background of Hotton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hotton, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Hotton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.1% (210 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hotton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.1%), Black (6.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Hotton (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 Hotton mean?
A surname possibly derived from a place name or referring to someone living near a hill. 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 Hotton (0.08 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 Hotton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.