Hull last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Hull is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hull.

Meaning of Hull

An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived in a town or village called Hull.

Hull, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hull surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hull in America

Hull is the 807th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hull surname appeared 43,018 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 15 people would have the surname Hull.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hull to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 807 754 6.79%
Count 43,018 41,656 3.22%
Proportion per 100k 14.58 15.44 -5.73%

The history of the last name Hull

The surname Hull is of English origin and is believed to have emerged during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "hull," which referred to a hill or a rounded ridge. This suggests that the name Hull was likely a topographic surname, given to individuals who lived near or on a hill or a ridge.

The name Hull is recorded in various historical documents, including the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions several individuals with the surname Hull or similar spellings, such as Hulla or Hulle. This indicates that the name was already well-established in England by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hull is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mentions a man named William de Hull. This suggests that the surname had already become hereditary by the 12th century.

Many individuals with the surname Hull have been associated with various locations throughout history. For example, the city of Hull in East Yorkshire, England, is believed to have derived its name from the Old English word "hull," meaning a hill or a ridge. This connection between the surname and the place name reinforces the topographic origins of the surname.

Notable individuals with the surname Hull throughout history include:

  1. Robert Hull (c. 1499 - c. 1539), an English mathematician and writer who authored several works on navigation and astronomy.
  2. Thomas Hull (1628 - 1683), one of the founders of the town of Windsor, Connecticut, in the United States.
  3. Isaac Hull (1773 - 1843), an American naval officer who commanded the USS Constitution during the War of 1812.
  4. Edith Hull (1880 - 1947), a British author and translator known for her works on spiritualism and theosophy.
  5. Cordell Hull (1871 - 1955), an American politician who served as the United States Secretary of State from 1933 to 1944 and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1945.

While the surname Hull has been associated with various locations and individuals throughout history, its origins can be traced back to the Old English word "hull," reflecting the topographic nature of many early English surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hull

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hull.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hull was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 85.54% 36,798
Non-Hispanic Black Only 8.62% 3,708
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.62% 267
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.74% 318
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.88% 809
Hispanic Origin 2.60% 1,118

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hull has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 85.54% 87.34% -2.08%
Black 8.62% 8.23% 4.63%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.62% 0.45% 31.78%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.74% 0.79% -6.54%
Two or More Races 1.88% 1.44% 26.51%
Hispanic 2.60% 1.75% 39.08%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hull was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hull, please contact us.

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"Hull last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 14, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/hull-surname-popularity/.

"Hull last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/hull-surname-popularity/. Accessed 14 December, 2024

Hull last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/hull-surname-popularity/.

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