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

Hurt, 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 Hurt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hurt in America

Hurt is the 1708th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hurt surname appeared 21,037 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 Hurt.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hurt 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 Hurt

The surname Hurt has its origins in England, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "hyrtan," which means "to ram" or "to strike." This suggests that the name may have been originally given to someone who worked as a rammer or striker, perhaps in a profession like construction or mining.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several references to people with the surname Hurt or variations of it, such as Hurtaud and Hurtevent. This indicates that the name was present in England even before the Norman Conquest.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hurt is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1199, where a man named Robert Hurt is mentioned. Another early example is from the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, which lists a John Hurt.

The surname Hurt may also be related to certain place names in England, such as Hurtwood in Surrey or Hurtshill in Warwickshire. It is possible that some individuals with the surname Hurt took their name from these locations or similar ones.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Hurt. One example is Sir William Hurt (c. 1389-1449), who was a Member of Parliament and served as the Sheriff of Shropshire and Staffordshire during the reign of Henry VI.

Another prominent figure was John Hurt (1522-1592), an English theologian and Protestant reformer who played a significant role in the English Reformation under Queen Elizabeth I.

In the literary world, Walter Hurt (1776-1859) was an English poet and writer who published works such as "Amarynthus, the Nympholept" and "The Florist's Manual."

Sir Robert Hurt (1839-1909) was a British businessman and philanthropist who founded the Wills & Hepworth Brewery and served as the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1891.

More recently, John Vincent Hurt (1940-2017) was a renowned English actor known for his roles in films like "The Elephant Man," "Alien," and the "Harry Potter" series.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hurt

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

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

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

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