2000
#4,150
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,901
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.93
Rare Last name
Hutchens
Derived from a nickname for Hugh or a variant of Hutchinson, meaning "son of Hutchin."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,686 Americans carry the last name Hutchens. That puts it at #4,548 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,461 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hutchens 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 Hutchens with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.7K
1 in 39,461
Census rank
#4,548
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,575 bearers of the surname Hutchens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4548th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hutchens, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hutchens
The surname Hutchens is of English origin, derived from the medieval given name Hugh. It is a patronymic name, which means it was initially used to identify someone as the son of Hugh. The name Hugh itself is derived from the Germanic elements "hug" meaning heart, mind, or soul, and "nath" meaning daring or brave.
The earliest known recording of the surname Hutchens dates back to the 13th century in the county of Lincolnshire, England. It was initially spelled as "Hughtchensone" or "Huchtenson," and over time evolved into the more modern spelling of Hutchens.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several entries for individuals with the name Hugh or variations of it, such as Hugo and Hugun, which may have later evolved into the surname Hutchens.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Hutchens was Sir William Hutchens, a knight who lived in the 14th century during the reign of King Edward III. He was a prominent landowner in the county of Nottinghamshire.
Another notable figure was John Hutchens, born in 1560 in the village of Colchester, Essex. He was a renowned clockmaker and is credited with inventing the first pendulum clock in 1662, a significant development in the field of timekeeping.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Hutchens family settled in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of William Hutchens, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 and became a successful tobacco planter.
During the English Civil War in the mid-17th century, a Royalist soldier named Robert Hutchens fought for King Charles I and was later awarded land in Ireland for his service.
Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Hutchens, born in 1732 in Nottinghamshire. He was a prominent naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War and later became a Member of Parliament.
Throughout history, the surname Hutchens has been associated with various places in England, such as Hutchens Hall in Lincolnshire, Hutchens Manor in Essex, and the village of Hutchens Green in Worcestershire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hutchens
Among Census respondents with the surname Hutchens, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hutchens 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 Hutchens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 6,888
- Two or more races3.3% · 249
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 179
- Black or African American2.2% · 167
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hutchens
Hutchens 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
#4,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,954
+53 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 2.70
Rank movement Down 313 places
2020
#4,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,575
-379 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 2.53
Rank movement Down 85 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,150 | 7,901 | 2.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,463 | 7,954 | 2.70 | +53 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 313 places |
| 2020 | #4,548 | 7,575 | 2.53 | -379 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 85 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 Hutchens 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 | #4,463 | #4,548 | -1.9% |
| Count | 7,954 | 7,575 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.70 | 2.53 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hutchens bearers went from 7,954 to 7,575 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 85 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,463 to #4,548.
FAQ
Hutchens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hutchens?
Name Census estimates that about 8,686 living Americans carry the surname Hutchens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,461 residents.
How common is Hutchens?
Hutchens ranks #4,548 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,575 people with the surname Hutchens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,686), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Hutchens.
Has Hutchens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hutchens went from 7,954 recorded bearers to 7,575. That is a decrease of 379 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,463 to #4,548.
What does the Census say about the background of Hutchens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hutchens, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Hutchens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (6,888 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hutchens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Hutchens (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 Hutchens mean?
Derived from a nickname for Hugh or a variant of Hutchinson, meaning "son of Hutchin." 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 Hutchens (2.53 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 many Americans have the surname Hutchens?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.