2000
#3,457
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,455
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.50
Uncommon Last name
Hoyle
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a holly tree or in a holly grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,007 Americans carry the last name Hoyle. That puts it at #3,949 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,251 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoyle 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 Hoyle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 34,251
Census rank
#3,949
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.7K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,727 bearers of the surname Hoyle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3949th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoyle
The surname HOYLE has its origins in England, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a topographic name derived from the Old English word "hol," meaning a small valley or hollow. This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name likely resided in or near such a geographical feature.
The earliest known record of the surname HOYLE appears in the Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire in 1273, where one William del Hol was mentioned. This indicates that the name was well-established in the northern counties of England by the 13th century.
Over time, the name evolved from its original form of "del Hol" to "Hole" and eventually "Hoyle." This change in spelling was likely influenced by regional dialects and the adaptation of the name to local pronunciations.
In the 14th century, the HOYLE surname appeared in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, where John del Hoyle and Agnes del Hoyle were listed. This record suggests that the name had spread across different areas of Yorkshire by that time.
One notable bearer of the HOYLE surname was Edmond Hoyle (1672-1769), a renowned English writer and authority on the rules of various games, particularly whist. His book "A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist" became a standard reference work and contributed to the popularization of the term "according to Hoyle," which is still used today to indicate adherence to established rules or norms.
Another famous HOYLE was Sir William Hoyle (1860-1940), a British civil engineer and architect who designed several notable buildings in India during the British Raj, including the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata.
In the United States, the HOYLE surname can be traced back to early colonial times. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Thomas Hoyle, who arrived in Virginia in 1635.
The HOYLE name has also been associated with several places in England, such as Hoyle Mill in Lancashire and Hoyle House in Yorkshire, further reinforcing its connection to the region's geography and history.
It's worth noting that the HOYLE surname has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, including Hoil, Hoile, Hoyle, and Hoyll, reflecting the fluidity of surname spellings in earlier times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoyle
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoyle 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 Hoyle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.8% · 6,786
- Black or African American13.8% · 1,204
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 330
- Two or more races3.5% · 304
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 53
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 50
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoyle
Hoyle 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
#3,857
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,192
-263 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 3.12
Rank movement Down 400 places
2020
#3,949
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,727
-465 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 2.92
Rank movement Down 92 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,457 | 9,455 | 3.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,857 | 9,192 | 3.12 | -263 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 400 places |
| 2020 | #3,949 | 8,727 | 2.92 | -465 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 92 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 Hoyle 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 | #3,857 | #3,949 | -2.4% |
| Count | 9,192 | 8,727 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.12 | 2.92 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoyle bearers went from 9,192 to 8,727 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 92 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,857 to #3,949.
FAQ
Hoyle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoyle?
Name Census estimates that about 10,007 living Americans carry the surname Hoyle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,251 residents.
How common is Hoyle?
Hoyle ranks #3,949 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,727 people with the surname Hoyle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,007), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Hoyle.
Has Hoyle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoyle went from 9,192 recorded bearers to 8,727. That is a decrease of 465 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,857 to #3,949.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoyle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoyle, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Hoyle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (6,786 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoyle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.8%), Black (13.8%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Hoyle (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 Hoyle mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a holly tree or in a holly 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 Hoyle (2.92 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 common is the surname Hoyle?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Hoyle on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.