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

Hunt, 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 Hunt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hunt in America

Hunt is the 169th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hunt surname appeared 158,421 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 54 people would have the surname Hunt.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hunt 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.

The history of the last name Hunt

The surname Hunt is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English "hunta" meaning a huntsman or hunter. It is believed to have originated in the 8th or 9th century as an occupational surname given to those who worked as hunters or gamekeepers.

The Hunt surname is first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. Early variations of the spelling included Hunte, Hunta, and Huntere. The name was most prevalent in the counties of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire, suggesting that it may have originated in the West Midlands region of England.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Richard le Hunt, who is mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1221. Another early example is Walter le Hunte, who is recorded in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1230.

The Hunt surname is also associated with various place names in England, such as Hunton in Kent, Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, and Huntington in Herefordshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in different regions.

Notable individuals with the surname Hunt throughout history include:

1. William Holman Hunt (1827-1910), an English painter and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood.
2. Henry Hunt (1773-1835), an English radical orator and pioneer of working-class radicalism.
3. John Hunt (c. 1550-1615), an English merchant and one of the founders of the East India Company.
4. Leigh Hunt (1784-1859), an English essayist, poet, and critic, and a central figure in the Romantic movement.
5. James Henry Leigh Hunt (1784-1859), an English critic, essayist, poet, and writer, best known for his work "The Autobiography of Leigh Hunt."

The Hunt surname has a rich history spanning several centuries, originating as an occupational name for hunters and gamekeepers in medieval England. Its widespread distribution across various counties and association with place names reflects the mobility and diverse origins of its bearers over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hunt

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

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 Hunt was:

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 Hunt has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Hunt was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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