2000
#1,389
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,391
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.67
Uncommon Last name
Hutchison
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Hugh, meaning "son of Hugh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,767 Americans carry the last name Hutchison. That puts it at #1,432 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,344 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hutchison 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 Hutchison with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,344
Census rank
#1,432
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,214 bearers of the surname Hutchison in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1432nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hutchison, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hutchison
The surname Hutchison is of Scottish origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "hog" or "hoge," which means a hill or small elevation, and the suffix "ton," meaning a farmstead or settlement. Therefore, Hutchison likely referred to someone who resided near a small hill or mound.
The name was first recorded in the ancient Scottish counties of Ayrshire and Renfrewshire, where the earliest known bearers of the name lived. In the 13th century, a charter from Paisley Abbey mentions a "William de Hogiston," which is believed to be one of the earliest recorded instances of the name.
The Hutchison surname can be found in various historical records, including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One notable entry is that of "Robertus de Hogeston," a landholder from Renfrewshire.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, which recorded tax records and land transactions. One such entry from 1528 mentions a "John Hutchison" from Ayrshire.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Hutchison. One of the earliest was Sir Thomas Hutchison (1589-1642), a Scottish landowner and member of the Scottish Parliament. Another was George Hutchison (1678-1737), a Scottish mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of eclipses.
In the 19th century, Robert Hutchison (1782-1858) was a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who founded the Hutchison's Hospital in Paisley. Graham Hutchison (1835-1913) was a Scottish politician and writer who served as a Member of Parliament for Glasgow.
More recently, Sir Harry Hutchison (1915-2005) was a renowned Scottish surgeon and medical researcher, known for his contributions to the field of plastic surgery.
While the surname Hutchison has evolved over time, with various spellings such as Hutcheson, Hutchinson, and Huchison, it has maintained its Scottish roots and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hutchison
Among Census respondents with the surname Hutchison, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hutchison 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 Hutchison surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 21,243
- Black or African American4.6% · 1,107
- Two or more races3.6% · 866
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 730
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 145
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 123
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hutchison
Hutchison 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
#1,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,820
+1,429 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 8.41
Rank movement Down 47 places
2020
#1,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,214
-606 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 8.10
Rank movement Up 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,389 | 23,391 | 8.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,436 | 24,820 | 8.41 | +1,429 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 47 places |
| 2020 | #1,432 | 24,214 | 8.10 | -606 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 4 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 Hutchison 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 | #1,436 | #1,432 | 0.3% |
| Count | 24,820 | 24,214 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 8.41 | 8.10 | -3.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hutchison bearers went from 24,820 to 24,214 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,436 to #1,432.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hutchison
FAQ
Hutchison surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hutchison?
Name Census estimates that about 27,767 living Americans carry the surname Hutchison. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,344 residents.
How common is Hutchison?
Hutchison ranks #1,432 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.10 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 24,214 people with the surname Hutchison. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,767), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.10 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 Hutchison.
Has Hutchison become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hutchison went from 24,820 recorded bearers to 24,214. That is a decrease of 606 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,436 to #1,432.
What does the Census say about the background of Hutchison?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hutchison, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Hutchison in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (21,243 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hutchison appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Black (4.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Hutchison (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 Hutchison mean?
A patronymic surname derived from the given name Hugh, meaning "son of Hugh." 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 Hutchison (8.10 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 common is the surname Hutchison?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Hutchison on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.