2000
#5,337
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,011
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.23
Rare Last name
Hubbell
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "Hubba's hill" or "hilltop of a man named Hubba."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,454 Americans carry the last name Hubbell. That puts it at #5,905 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,107 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hubbell 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
6.5K
1 in 53,107
Census rank
#5,905
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,628 bearers of the surname Hubbell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5905th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hubbell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hubbell
The surname HUBBELL is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "hol" meaning a hollow or small valley, and "bæll" meaning a bell or bell-shaped object. The combination of these words suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a valley with a distinctive bell-shaped landform or feature.
Early records of the name can be found in various regions of England, including Essex, Suffolk, and Yorkshire. The spelling of the name has evolved over time, with variants such as Hubald, Hubbald, and Hubold appearing in various historical documents.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Domesday Book, compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Hubald" in this important medieval census and land survey.
In the 13th century, a man named Robert Hubold was documented as a landowner in the county of Essex. This is one of the earliest recorded examples of the surname in its more modern spelling.
Throughout the centuries, the HUBBELL family has produced several notable individuals. One such person was John Hubbell, who was born in England in the late 16th century and later emigrated to colonial America, settling in Connecticut in the 1630s.
Another prominent figure was William Hubbell, an English politician and Member of Parliament for the borough of Taunton in the late 17th century. He played a role in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, which saw the overthrow of King James II.
In the 18th century, Richard Hubbell, born in 1702 in Connecticut, was a influential figure in the American Revolutionary War, serving as a captain in the Continental Army.
Turning to the 19th century, Nehemiah Hubbell, born in 1805 in New York, was an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1861 to 1863.
Finally, in the early 20th century, Walter Hubbell, born in 1892 in New York, was a renowned architect known for his work on several prominent buildings in New York City, including the Woolworth Building and the Empire State Building.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hubbell
Among Census respondents with the surname Hubbell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hubbell 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 Hubbell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 5,057
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 212
- Two or more races3.4% · 193
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 60
- Black or African American0.5% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hubbell
Hubbell 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
#5,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,977
-34 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 2.03
Rank movement Down 453 places
2020
#5,905
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,628
-349 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.88
Rank movement Down 115 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,337 | 6,011 | 2.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,790 | 5,977 | 2.03 | -34 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 453 places |
| 2020 | #5,905 | 5,628 | 1.88 | -349 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 115 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 Hubbell 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 | #5,790 | #5,905 | -2.0% |
| Count | 5,977 | 5,628 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.03 | 1.88 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hubbell bearers went from 5,977 to 5,628 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 115 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,790 to #5,905.
FAQ
Hubbell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hubbell?
Name Census estimates that about 6,454 living Americans carry the surname Hubbell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,107 residents.
How common is Hubbell?
Hubbell ranks #5,905 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,628 people with the surname Hubbell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,454), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hubbell.
Has Hubbell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hubbell went from 5,977 recorded bearers to 5,628. That is a decrease of 349 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,790 to #5,905.
What does the Census say about the background of Hubbell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hubbell, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Hubbell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (5,057 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hubbell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Hubbell (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 Hubbell mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "Hubba's hill" or "hilltop of a man named Hubba." 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 Hubbell (1.88 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 Hubbell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.