2000
#1,257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,633
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.50
Uncommon Last name
Hutchins
Derived from a diminutive of Hugh, meaning "son of little Hugh" or "descendant of Hutchin."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 28,209 Americans carry the last name Hutchins. That puts it at #1,411 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,151 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hutchins 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 Hutchins with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,151
Census rank
#1,411
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
25K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,600 bearers of the surname Hutchins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1411th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hutchins, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hutchins
The surname Hutchins is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Old English words "hog" and "cotan," meaning a small hog house or a small dwelling near a hog enclosure. The name likely referred to someone who resided near a pigsty or worked as a swine herder.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hoghton" and "Hoggeton." This suggests that the name existed in England during the 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest.
Over time, the name evolved into various spellings, such as Hoghtone, Hoghton, Hogheton, and eventually Hutchins. The transition from "Hoghton" to "Hutchins" can be attributed to the natural evolution of language and regional dialects.
In the 13th century, a prominent individual named William de Hoghton was mentioned in records from Lancashire, England. He was likely a landowner or a person of some significance in the local community.
Another notable figure was Sir Richard Hoghton, who lived in the late 16th century and was a member of the English gentry. He served as a Member of Parliament and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I.
During the 17th century, the name Hutchins became more widespread across England. One notable individual was Thomas Hutchins, a Puritan minister who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s and was involved in the founding of several towns.
In the 18th century, John Hutchins was a renowned English mathematician and surveyor. He was born in 1698 and made significant contributions to cartography and surveying techniques.
Another prominent individual was Sarah Hutchins, a philanthropist and social reformer who lived from 1782 to 1860. She was actively involved in various charitable organizations and advocated for the abolition of slavery.
As the name spread across the British Isles and beyond, it acquired variations such as Hutchinson, Hutchings, and Huchens, reflecting regional dialects and spelling preferences. However, the core origin and meaning remained consistent, tracing back to the Old English words related to swine and dwellings.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hutchins
Among Census respondents with the surname Hutchins, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hutchins 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 Hutchins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.2% · 18,509
- Black or African American16.1% · 3,963
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,072
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 724
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 172
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 160
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hutchins
Hutchins 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
#1,344
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,251
+618 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 8.90
Rank movement Down 87 places
2020
#1,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,600
-1,651 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 8.23
Rank movement Down 67 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,257 | 25,633 | 9.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,344 | 26,251 | 8.90 | +618 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 87 places |
| 2020 | #1,411 | 24,600 | 8.23 | -1,651 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 67 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 Hutchins 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 | #1,344 | #1,411 | -5.0% |
| Count | 26,251 | 24,600 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 8.90 | 8.23 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hutchins bearers went from 26,251 to 24,600 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 67 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,344 to #1,411.
FAQ
Hutchins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hutchins?
Name Census estimates that about 28,209 living Americans carry the surname Hutchins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,151 residents.
How common is Hutchins?
Hutchins ranks #1,411 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,600 people with the surname Hutchins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (28,209), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Hutchins.
Has Hutchins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hutchins went from 26,251 recorded bearers to 24,600. That is a decrease of 1,651 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,344 to #1,411.
What does the Census say about the background of Hutchins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hutchins, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Hutchins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (18,509 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hutchins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.2%), Black (16.1%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Hutchins (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 Hutchins mean?
Derived from a diminutive of Hugh, meaning "son of little Hugh" or "descendant 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 Hutchins (8.23 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 Hutchins?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.