2000
#1,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,396
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.82
Uncommon Last name
Hyatt
Derived from a place name meaning "high gate" in Old English, referring to a tall or high gate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,985 Americans carry the last name Hyatt. That puts it at #1,927 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,333 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hyatt 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 Hyatt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
21K
1 in 16,333
Census rank
#1,927
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 18,300 bearers of the surname Hyatt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1927th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hyatt, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hyatt
The surname Hyatt has its roots in England, originating during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "hege," meaning "hedge," and the word "geat," meaning "gate." The combined form, "hege-geat," referred to a keeper or warden of a hedge gate, which was a common occupation at the time.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the 13th century. In the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire, compiled in 1273, the name appears as "Heygat." Similarly, in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, the name is spelled as "Heygate."
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the surname was John Hyatt, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1260. Another notable reference is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a person named Hegehate is recorded as residing in Gloucestershire.
Over time, the name evolved and took on various spellings, such as Hyatt, Hyet, Hyett, and Hiate. One of the earliest recorded instances of the modern spelling "Hyatt" can be found in the Hearth Tax Rolls of Hampshire from 1665, where a William Hyatt is listed.
A few notable historical figures with the surname Hyatt include:
1. John Hyatt (1592-1646), an English Puritan minister and author who served as the pastor of St. Mary's Church in Fulham.
2. Thaddeus Hyatt (1816-1901), an American naturalist and zoologist, known for his contributions to the study of sponges and fossil invertebrates.
3. John Wesley Hyatt (1837-1920), an American inventor and industrialist, best known for his invention of celluloid, an early plastic material.
4. Alphonso Hyatt (1838-1902), an American zoologist and paleontologist, recognized for his work on fossil cephalopods.
5. Harry Hyatt (1888-1964), an American film director and screenwriter, known for his work in the silent film era and early talkies.
The Hyatt surname has its origins deeply rooted in English history, evolving from an occupational description to a well-established family name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hyatt
Among Census respondents with the surname Hyatt, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hyatt 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 Hyatt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.3% · 15,425
- Black or African American6.8% · 1,240
- Two or more races4.1% · 751
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 567
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 180
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 137
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hyatt
Hyatt 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
#1,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,280
+884 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 6.54
Rank movement Down 72 places
2020
#1,927
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,300
-980 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 6.12
Rank movement Down 64 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,791 | 18,396 | 6.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,863 | 19,280 | 6.54 | +884 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 72 places |
| 2020 | #1,927 | 18,300 | 6.12 | -980 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 64 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 Hyatt 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 | #1,863 | #1,927 | -3.4% |
| Count | 19,280 | 18,300 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 6.54 | 6.12 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hyatt bearers went from 19,280 to 18,300 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 64 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,863 to #1,927.
FAQ
Hyatt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hyatt?
Name Census estimates that about 20,985 living Americans carry the surname Hyatt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,333 residents.
How common is Hyatt?
Hyatt ranks #1,927 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 18,300 people with the surname Hyatt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,985), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Hyatt.
Has Hyatt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hyatt went from 19,280 recorded bearers to 18,300. That is a decrease of 980 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,863 to #1,927.
What does the Census say about the background of Hyatt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hyatt, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hyatt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (15,425 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hyatt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.3%), Black (6.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hyatt (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 Hyatt mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "high gate" in Old English, referring to a tall or high gate. 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 Hyatt (6.12 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 people have the surname Hyatt?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.