2000
#1,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,856
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.36
Uncommon Last name
Hurd
An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived on a hill or near a herd of animals.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,392 Americans carry the last name Hurd. That puts it at #1,797 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hurd 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 Hurd with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
22K
1 in 15,307
Census rank
#1,797
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,527 bearers of the surname Hurd in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1797th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hurd, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hurd
Among Census respondents with the surname Hurd, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hurd 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 Hurd surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.8% · 14,012
- Black or African American18.7% · 3,650
- Two or more races4.7% · 909
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 670
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 157
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 129
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hurd
Hurd 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
#1,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,540
+684 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 6.96
Rank movement Down 89 places
2020
#1,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,527
-1,013 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 6.53
Rank movement Down 54 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,654 | 19,856 | 7.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,743 | 20,540 | 6.96 | +684 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 89 places |
| 2020 | #1,797 | 19,527 | 6.53 | -1,013 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 54 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 Hurd 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 | #1,743 | #1,797 | -3.1% |
| Count | 20,540 | 19,527 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 6.96 | 6.53 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hurd bearers went from 20,540 to 19,527 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 54 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,743 to #1,797.
FAQ
Hurd surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hurd?
Name Census estimates that about 22,392 living Americans carry the surname Hurd. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,307 residents.
How common is Hurd?
Hurd ranks #1,797 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,527 people with the surname Hurd. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,392), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Hurd.
Has Hurd become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hurd went from 20,540 recorded bearers to 19,527. That is a decrease of 1,013 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,743 to #1,797.
What does the Census say about the background of Hurd?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hurd, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Hurd in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.8% (14,012 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hurd appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.8%), Black (18.7%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Hurd (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 Hurd mean?
An English topographic surname denoting someone who lived on a hill or near a herd of animals. 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 Hurd (6.53 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 Hurd?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Hurd on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.