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

Hurst, 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 Hurst surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hurst in America

Hurst is the 749th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hurst surname appeared 46,244 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 16 people would have the surname Hurst.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hurst 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 Hurst

The surname Hurst has its origins in England and dates back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English word 'hyrst', meaning a wooded hill or a hillock. The name was likely given to someone who lived near a prominent wooded hill or a small forest.

One of the earliest records of the surname Hurst can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as 'de Hurst', indicating that the person was from a place called Hurst.

In the 13th century, the name Hurst was frequently associated with various places in England, including Hurst in Berkshire, Hurst in Lancashire, and Hurst in Wiltshire. The spelling variations included Hirst, Hurst, and Hyrst.

One notable person with the surname Hurst was Sir John Hurst (1596-1667), an English politician and military commander who served as a Member of Parliament and fought in the English Civil War on the side of the Parliamentarians.

Another historical figure with this surname was Henry Hurst (1629-1690), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1685 to 1689.

In the 18th century, Thomas Hurst (1737-1808) was a prominent English bookseller and publisher who worked in London's Paternoster Row, a center of the book trade at the time.

William Hurst (1789-1849) was an English engraver and painter who is known for his landscapes and topographical prints depicting various parts of England.

A more recent figure with the surname Hurst was Geoffrey Hurst (born 1941), an English professional football player who played as a striker and was a member of the England national team that won the 1966 FIFA World Cup.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hurst

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

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

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

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