2000
#44,350
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 457
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Hulce
Derived from a combination of Germanic elements meaning "spur" and "helmet".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 507 Americans carry the last name Hulce. That puts it at #51,004 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 676,044 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hulce 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
507
1 in 676,044
Census rank
#51,004
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
442
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 442 bearers of the surname Hulce in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 51004th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hulce, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hulce
The surname Hulce is of English origin, deriving from a place name located in Warwickshire, England. It is believed to have emerged sometime during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is thought to be a variation of the Old English words "hol" meaning hollow and "ced" meaning ridge, referring to a geographical feature near where the earliest bearers of the name resided.
One of the earliest known records of the surname Hulce can be found in the Warwickshire Feet of Fines, a collection of legal records from the 13th century. In this document, a person named Richard de Hulce is mentioned as a landowner in the area. Additionally, variations of the spelling such as "Hulse" and "Hulces" have been found in other medieval records from the region.
In the 16th century, the surname Hulce began to spread beyond Warwickshire, with records showing individuals bearing the name in neighboring counties like Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. One notable person from this era was John Hulce, a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, who lived from around 1520 to 1585.
During the 17th century, the Hulce surname continued to gain prominence. In 1635, a man named Thomas Hulce was recorded as a freeman of the city of London, indicating his status as a respected citizen. Another individual of note was Edward Hulce, a scholar and clergyman who served as the rector of St. Peter's Church in Northampton from 1670 until his death in 1706.
The 18th century saw the Hulce name spread further across England, with records showing families settled in various counties, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Staffordshire. One prominent figure from this period was Sir Edward Hulce, a renowned politician and member of Parliament for the borough of Wigan from 1768 to 1780.
In the 19th century, the Hulce surname also gained a foothold in other parts of the world, as some members of the family emigrated to places like the United States and Canada. One notable individual from this era was Samuel Hulce, an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly from 1844 to 1846.
Throughout its history, the surname Hulce has been associated with various occupations and professions, from merchants and clergymen to politicians and lawyers. While the name may have evolved in its spelling over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to a specific location in medieval England, reflecting the rich and diverse heritage of English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hulce
Among Census respondents with the surname Hulce, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hulce 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 Hulce surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 408
- Two or more races4.1% · 18
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 2
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hulce
Hulce 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
#46,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 455
-2 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 2,375 places
2020
#51,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 442
-13 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 4,279 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #44,350 | 457 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #46,725 | 455 | 0.15 | -2 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 2,375 places |
| 2020 | #51,004 | 442 | 0.15 | -13 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 4,279 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 Hulce 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 | #46,725 | #51,004 | -9.2% |
| Count | 455 | 442 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.15 | 0.15 | -1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hulce bearers went from 455 to 442 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 4,279 positions in the national ranking, going from #46,725 to #51,004.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hulce
FAQ
Hulce surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hulce?
Name Census estimates that about 507 living Americans carry the surname Hulce. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 676,044 residents.
How common is Hulce?
Hulce ranks #51,004 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 442 people with the surname Hulce. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (507), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hulce.
Has Hulce become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hulce went from 455 recorded bearers to 442. That is a decrease of 13 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #46,725 to #51,004.
What does the Census say about the background of Hulce?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hulce, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.1%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Hulce in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (408 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hulce appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (4.1%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Hulce (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 Hulce mean?
Derived from a combination of Germanic elements meaning "spur" and "helmet". 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 Hulce (0.15 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 Hulce?
If you just want to know how common the surname Hulce is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.