2000
#1,591
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,707
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.68
Uncommon Last name
Hoyt
Derived from the Middle English word "hoit," meaning a small hill or mound.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,508 Americans carry the last name Hoyt. That puts it at #1,712 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,580 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoyt 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.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,580
Census rank
#1,712
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,500 bearers of the surname Hoyt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1712th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoyt, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoyt
The surname Hoyt is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "hoh," meaning heel or ridge, and was likely used as a topographic name for someone who lived on or near a ridge.
The name was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appeared as "Hoiet" and "Hoiete." This early form suggests that the name was initially pronounced with a softer vowel sound, closer to the modern pronunciation of "Hoit."
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records as "Hoit," "Hoyt," and "Hoytt." The spelling "Hoyt" became more prevalent by the 16th century, indicating a shift towards the modern form.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was John Hoyt, who was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1275. Another notable early bearer of the name was Sir Walter Hoyt, a member of the English gentry who lived in the late 14th century.
During the 17th century, several Hoyts were among the early Puritan settlers of New England. Simon Hoyt, born around 1590 in England, was one of the founders of Windsor, Connecticut, and his descendants went on to settle in various parts of the American colonies.
Another famous bearer of the name was Ralph Hoyt (1636-1689), a prominent merchant and landowner in Salisbury, Massachusetts. His son, John Hoyt (1672-1744), was a notable figure in the early history of Connecticut, serving as a judge and legislator.
In the 18th century, Samuel Hoyt (1737-1803) was a distinguished American jurist and politician who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress and as a judge in New York.
The name Hoyt has also been associated with several notable authors and artists, such as Henry Hoyt (1831-1905), an American poet and journalist, and Charles Hoyt (1859-1900), a popular American playwright and actor.
Throughout its history, the surname Hoyt has undergone various spelling variations, including Hoit, Hoyet, Hoyett, and Hoit, reflecting the fluidity of surname spellings in earlier times. However, the modern spelling "Hoyt" has become the most widely accepted form.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoyt
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoyt, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoyt 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 Hoyt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 18,196
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 790
- Two or more races3.7% · 764
- Black or African American2.1% · 428
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 174
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 148
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoyt
Hoyt 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
#1,701
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,169
+462 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 7.18
Rank movement Down 110 places
2020
#1,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,500
-669 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 6.86
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,591 | 20,707 | 7.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,701 | 21,169 | 7.18 | +462 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 110 places |
| 2020 | #1,712 | 20,500 | 6.86 | -669 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 11 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 Hoyt 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 | #1,701 | #1,712 | -0.6% |
| Count | 21,169 | 20,500 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 7.18 | 6.86 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoyt bearers went from 21,169 to 20,500 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,701 to #1,712.
FAQ
Hoyt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoyt?
Name Census estimates that about 23,508 living Americans carry the surname Hoyt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,580 residents.
How common is Hoyt?
Hoyt ranks #1,712 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.86 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,500 people with the surname Hoyt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,508), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.86 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Hoyt.
Has Hoyt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoyt went from 21,169 recorded bearers to 20,500. That is a decrease of 669 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,701 to #1,712.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoyt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoyt, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Hoyt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (18,196 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoyt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Hoyt (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 Hoyt mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "hoit," meaning a small hill or mound. 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 Hoyt (6.86 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 Americans have the surname Hoyt?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.