2000
#59,453
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 318
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Hoult
A variant of "holt" meaning a small wood or grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 385 Americans carry the last name Hoult. That puts it at #64,041 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 890,271 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoult 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 Hoult with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
385
1 in 890,271
Census rank
#64,041
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
336
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 336 bearers of the surname Hoult in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 64041st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoult, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoult
The surname "HOULT" is of English origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the hamlet of Holt, a common place name found across various counties in England, such as Norfolk, Wiltshire, and Yorkshire. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English word "holt," meaning a wood or a grove.
The earliest recorded reference to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Holte" in Buckinghamshire and Derbyshire. The name likely evolved from the Old English "holt" to the modern spelling "HOULT" over time, with various intermediate spellings such as "Holt," "Holte," and "Hoult" being used interchangeably.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname "HOULT" was John Hoult, who was born in Nottinghamshire in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Richard Hoult, a merchant from Lincoln, who is mentioned in records from the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the parish records of Derbyshire, where a family of Hoults resided in the village of Hollington. One of the most prominent members of this family was William Hoult (1555-1629), a wealthy landowner and benefactor who funded the construction of a school in the village.
During the 17th century, the name spread to other parts of England, and several individuals with the surname "HOULT" made their mark in various fields. For instance, Thomas Hoult (1628-1692) was a renowned mathematician and astronomer who contributed to the development of logarithmic tables.
In the 18th century, the name gained recognition with the birth of Samuel Hoult (1746-1821), a celebrated artist and engraver who was elected a member of the Royal Academy in 1799. His works are still displayed in various art galleries across the country.
As the centuries progressed, the name continued to be carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including Sir Henry Hoult (1819-1898), a prominent industrialist and philanthropist who funded the construction of several schools and hospitals in his hometown of Manchester.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoult
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoult, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoult 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 Hoult surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 311
- Black or African American2.7% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 7
- Two or more races1.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoult
Hoult 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
#62,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 318
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 3,450 places
2020
#64,041
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 336
+18 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 1,138 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #59,453 | 318 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #62,903 | 318 | 0.11 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 3,450 places |
| 2020 | #64,041 | 336 | 0.11 | +18 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 1,138 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 Hoult 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 | #62,903 | #64,041 | -1.8% |
| Count | 318 | 336 | 5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.11 | 2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoult bearers went from 318 to 336 (+5.7% change). The surname moved down 1,138 positions in the national ranking, going from #62,903 to #64,041.
FAQ
Hoult surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoult?
Name Census estimates that about 385 living Americans carry the surname Hoult. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 890,271 residents.
How common is Hoult?
Hoult ranks #64,041 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 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 336 people with the surname Hoult. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (385), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 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 Hoult.
Has Hoult become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoult went from 318 recorded bearers to 336. That is an increase of 18 (+5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #62,903 to #64,041.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoult?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoult, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Hoult in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (311 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoult appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Black (2.7%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Hoult (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 Hoult mean?
A variant of "holt" meaning a small wood or grove. 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 Hoult (0.11 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 have the surname Hoult?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.