2000
#6,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,595
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.70
Rare Last name
Hudspeth
An English occupational surname referring to someone who raises or herds animals, derived from "herd" and "spaeth" (swineherd).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,750 Americans carry the last name Hudspeth. That puts it at #7,709 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 72,159 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hudspeth 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 Hudspeth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 72,159
Census rank
#7,709
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,142 bearers of the surname Hudspeth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7709th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hudspeth, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hudspeth
The surname Hudspeth is of Anglo-Saxon origin, tracing its roots back to the regions of northern England. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "hude," meaning "hide," and "speth," meaning "mallet" or "hammer." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to an occupation or trade involving the use of a mallet, possibly in the tanning or leather-working industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, where a John Hodspeth is listed as a resident of the village of Wressle. The name appeared in various spellings in medieval records, including Hodspethe, Hudspethe, and Hudspith, reflecting the variation in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.
The Hudspeth surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One such individual was John Hudspeth (c. 1590-1664), an English politician and member of the Long Parliament during the English Civil War. Another was Samuel Hudspeth (1673-1747), a prominent merchant and shipowner from Newcastle upon Tyne, who played a significant role in the city's maritime trade.
In the 18th century, the name gained recognition through the work of John Hudspeth (1712-1786), a celebrated English clockmaker and inventor from Penrith, Cumbria. His innovative timepieces and astronomical clocks were highly regarded and sought after by wealthy patrons and institutions.
The 19th century saw the rise of Henry Hudspeth (1822-1892), a British civil engineer and surveyor who contributed to the construction of several notable landmarks, including the Tay Bridge in Scotland and the Manchester Ship Canal.
Another notable figure bearing the Hudspeth surname was William Hudspeth (1857-1930), a British artist and painter known for his landscape and marine scenes, particularly those depicting the rugged coastlines of Cornwall and Devon.
While the Hudspeth name has its origins in England, over time it has spread to other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond, as families migrated and established new roots. However, the historical records and references mentioned above provide insight into the rich heritage and significance of this Anglo-Saxon surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hudspeth
Among Census respondents with the surname Hudspeth, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hudspeth 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 Hudspeth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.7% · 3,177
- Black or African American13.7% · 568
- Two or more races5.2% · 214
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 138
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hudspeth
Hudspeth 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
#7,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,651
+56 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 425 places
2020
#7,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,142
-509 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 1.39
Rank movement Down 522 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,762 | 4,595 | 1.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,187 | 4,651 | 1.58 | +56 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 425 places |
| 2020 | #7,709 | 4,142 | 1.39 | -509 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 522 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 Hudspeth 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 | #7,187 | #7,709 | -7.3% |
| Count | 4,651 | 4,142 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.58 | 1.39 | -12.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hudspeth bearers went from 4,651 to 4,142 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 522 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,187 to #7,709.
FAQ
Hudspeth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hudspeth?
Name Census estimates that about 4,750 living Americans carry the surname Hudspeth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 72,159 residents.
How common is Hudspeth?
Hudspeth ranks #7,709 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,142 people with the surname Hudspeth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,750), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hudspeth.
Has Hudspeth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hudspeth went from 4,651 recorded bearers to 4,142. That is a decrease of 509 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,187 to #7,709.
What does the Census say about the background of Hudspeth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hudspeth, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Black (13.7%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Hudspeth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.7% (3,177 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hudspeth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.7%), Black (13.7%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Hudspeth (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 Hudspeth mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who raises or herds animals, derived from "herd" and "spaeth" (swineherd). 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 Hudspeth (1.39 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 are called Hudspeth?
See how many people have the last name Hudspeth on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.