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

Hurlbert, 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 Hurlbert surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hurlbert in America

Hurlbert is the 17406th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hurlbert surname appeared 1,621 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hurlbert.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hurlbert 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 Hurlbert

The surname Hurlbert originated in England during the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "hurl" meaning "river bank" and "beorht" meaning "bright" or "shining." This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who lived near a bright or shining river bank. Alternatively, it may have been a descriptive surname for someone with bright or shining hair.

The earliest known record of the Hurlbert surname dates back to the 13th century in Somerset, England. A William Hurlburt was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Somersetshire in 1273. The name also appeared in various other medieval records, such as the Pipe Rolls and the Subsidy Rolls, with spellings like Hurleburt, Hurleberte, and Hurlberte.

One notable early bearer of the Hurlbert name was Sir John Hurlbert, a prominent military commander during the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century. He fought for the House of Lancaster and was knighted for his bravery in battle.

In the 16th century, the Hurlbert family was well-established in Gloucestershire, England. Records show that a Thomas Hurlbert was born in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, in 1524. He later became a successful merchant and landowner in the area.

The Hurlbert name also spread to other parts of England, including Oxfordshire and Warwickshire. In the 17th century, a Richard Hurlbert (1620-1688) was a prominent Puritan clergyman who served as the vicar of Shenington, Oxfordshire.

During the colonial era, several Hurlberts immigrated to the American colonies. One of the earliest was William Hurlbert, who arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635. Another notable figure was Titus Hurlbut (1673-1762), a military officer and landowner in Connecticut.

Other significant individuals with the Hurlbert surname throughout history include:

1. Edward Hurlbut (1679-1753), an early settler and landowner in Wethersfield, Connecticut.
2. Joseph Hurlbut (1772-1855), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New York.
3. William Henry Hurlbert (1827-1895), an American journalist and editor who founded The World newspaper in New York City.
4. Jesse Lyman Hurlbut (1843-1930), an American Methodist Episcopal minister and author of Bible stories for children.
5. Ardelia Hurlburt (1851-1919), an American educator and advocate for women's rights and suffrage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hurlbert

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

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

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

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