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

Hyacinth, 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 Hyacinth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hyacinth in America

Hyacinth is the 107134th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hyacinth surname appeared 166 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Hyacinth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hyacinth 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 Hyacinth

The surname Hyacinth has its origins in the Latin word 'hyacinthus', meaning the precious stone or the flower of the same name. This name's roots can be traced back to ancient Greece and the myth of Hyacinthus, a beautiful Spartan youth who was accidentally killed by the god Apollo with a discus. From his spilled blood, the hyacinth flower was said to have sprung.

The name first appeared in Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly in areas with strong Greek and Roman cultural influences, such as Italy and parts of France. It was initially adopted as a given name by devout Christians, who wished to honor the story of Saint Hyacinth, a 13th-century Polish priest and missionary.

One of the earliest recorded instances of Hyacinth as a surname can be found in the tax records of the Republic of Venice in the 14th century. Here, families with Greek or Byzantine roots were listed with the surname Hyacinth or variations like Giacinto and Jacinto. During this period, the name also started to appear in other Italian city-states, such as Florence and Milan.

As the name spread across Europe, it took on various spellings and forms, including Jacinth, Jacynthe, and Jacinto. In England, the earliest record of the name Hyacinth dates back to the 16th century, with a notable bearer being Sir Hyacinth Tyrwhitt (1524-1586), a courtier and Member of Parliament.

In the 17th century, the name Hyacinth gained prominence in France, where it was associated with the noble Hyacinthe family from the Provence region. A notable figure from this family was Hyacinthe Rigaud (1659-1743), a renowned portrait painter who created works for the French royal court.

Another famous bearer of the name Hyacinth was Hyacinth Belanger (1817-1874), a French-Canadian missionary and the founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Anne, which established numerous schools and orphanages across Canada and the United States.

In the 19th century, the name Hyacinth was also found in literature, with characters bearing this name appearing in works by authors such as Charles Dickens and Honoré de Balzac.

While not as common today, the surname Hyacinth continues to be used, particularly in regions with historical ties to the Mediterranean and parts of Europe where it has deep roots.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hyacinth

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

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

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

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