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

Hurd, 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 Hurd surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hurd in America

Hurd is the 1743rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hurd surname appeared 20,540 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Hurd.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hurd 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 Hurd

The surname Hurd originated in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "hyrde," meaning a herdsman or keeper of animals. This occupational surname was given to individuals who worked as shepherds or herdsmen, tending to livestock such as sheep or cattle.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Hurd can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named William Hurd is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1203, which lists a Ralph Hurd.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, including Hird, Hirde, and Herde, reflecting the evolution of spelling over time. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 recorded a John le Hyrde in Oxfordshire, while the Yorkshire Inquisitions of 1297 mentioned a Henry Hird.

The Hurd surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was John Hurd (c. 1420-1468), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Wiltshire in 1449.

In the 16th century, Richard Hurd (1720-1808) was an English bishop and writer who served as the Bishop of Worcester and later the Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry. He was known for his works on literary criticism and his commentary on Horace's "Ars Poetica."

Another prominent figure was Benjamin Hurd (1724-1808), an English theologian and scholar who served as the Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Cambridge from 1788 until his death.

In the 18th century, John Hurd (1751-1823) was a British naval officer who played a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars. He was promoted to Vice Admiral in 1805 and commanded a squadron at the Battle of Trafalgar.

More recently, Douglas Hurd (1930-2022) was a British politician who served as the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 1989 to 1995 under Prime Minister John Major.

The Hurd surname has also been associated with various places in England, such as Hurdlow in Derbyshire, which was recorded as "Hurdelo" in the Domesday Book of 1086, and Hurdcott in Wiltshire, which was mentioned as "Hurdecote" in the 13th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hurd

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

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

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

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