2000
#83
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 229,390
First available Census row
Per 100,000 85.03
Common Last name
Hughes
A patronymic surname of Welsh origin meaning "son of Hugh" or "descendant of Hugh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 260,206 Americans carry the last name Hughes. That puts it at #96 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 75.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,317 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hughes 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 Hughes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
260K
1 in 1,317
Census rank
#96
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
75.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
227K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 226,912 bearers of the surname Hughes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 75.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 96th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hughes, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hughes
The surname Hughes originated in Wales, derived from the Welsh personal name Hugh or Huw. This was a very popular name among the Welsh, drawn from the Norman French name "Hugo," which in turn came from the Germanic word "hug" meaning heart, mind, or spirit. The surname first appeared in records in the 12th century.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name was Hughe, found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1191. Other early spellings included Hugges, Huggis, and Huggess. Over time, the name evolved into its modern spelling of Hughes.
The Hughes surname was particularly prevalent in the historic counties of Anglesey, Caernarvonshire, and Denbighshire in North Wales, as well as in the counties of Cardiganshire and Carmarthenshire in South Wales. Several place names in these regions, such as Hughe's Clough and Hughe's Dale, suggest the presence of early Hughes families.
In the famous Domesday Book of 1086, compiled by order of William the Conqueror, there are no direct references to the Hughes surname, as it had not yet emerged. However, the book does mention individuals with the personal name Hugh, indicating the name's early usage in Britain.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Hughes surname was Rhys ap Hugh, a Welsh nobleman who lived in the late 13th century and served as a member of the council of Prince Llewelyn the Last.
Sir Edward Hughes (1720-1794) was a prominent British naval officer who played a significant role in the Anglo-French War and the American Revolutionary War. He was knighted for his service in 1783.
Richard Hughes (1900-1976) was a renowned Welsh novelist and writer, best known for his semi-autobiographical novel "A High Wind in Jamaica."
Howard Hughes (1905-1976) was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, and filmmaker, famous for his eccentric behavior and his pioneering role in the aviation industry.
Ted Hughes (1930-1998) was an influential English poet and author, who served as the Poet Laureate of England from 1984 until his death. He is widely regarded as one of the most significant poets of the 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hughes
Among Census respondents with the surname Hughes, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hughes 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 Hughes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.5% · 171,334
- Black or African American15.8% · 35,769
- Two or more races4.1% · 9,374
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 7,792
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1,500
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1,143
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hughes
Hughes 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
#90
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 236,271
+6,881 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 80.10
Rank movement Down 7 places
2020
#96
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 226,912
-9,359 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 75.92
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #83 | 229,390 | 85.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #90 | 236,271 | 80.10 | +6,881 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 7 places |
| 2020 | #96 | 226,912 | 75.92 | -9,359 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 6 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 Hughes 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 | #90 | #96 | -6.7% |
| Count | 236,271 | 226,912 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 80.10 | 75.92 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hughes bearers went from 236,271 to 226,912 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #90 to #96.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hughes
FAQ
Hughes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hughes?
Name Census estimates that about 260,206 living Americans carry the surname Hughes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,317 residents.
How common is Hughes?
Hughes ranks #96 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 75.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 76 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 226,912 people with the surname Hughes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (260,206), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 75.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 75.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 76 of them to have the surname Hughes.
Has Hughes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hughes went from 236,271 recorded bearers to 226,912. That is a decrease of 9,359 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #90 to #96.
What does the Census say about the background of Hughes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hughes, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.5%. The next largest groups are Black (15.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hughes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.5% (171,334 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hughes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.5%), Black (15.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hughes (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 Hughes mean?
A patronymic surname of Welsh origin meaning "son of Hugh" or "descendant of Hugh." 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 Hughes (75.92 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 many people have the surname Hughes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.