2000
#4,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,850
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.91
Rare Last name
Hyland
Derived from a place name meaning "high land" in Old English, referring to someone who lived on high ground.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,777 Americans carry the last name Hyland. That puts it at #4,509 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,051 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hyland 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 Hyland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 39,051
Census rank
#4,509
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,654 bearers of the surname Hyland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4509th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hyland, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hyland
The surname HYLAND is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic words "Ó hÍodhlainn" or "Ó hÍoghalain", which means "descendant of Iollan". This name is believed to have originated in the 10th or 11th century from the ancient Irish kingdom of Dál Riata, located in what is now County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
The earliest recorded instance of the name HYLAND can be found in the "Annals of the Four Masters", a celebrated chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. This text mentions a "Muircheartach Ua hIodhalain" who was the heir to the kingdom of Dál Riata in the year 1099.
During the Middle Ages, the HYLAND surname was predominantly concentrated in the northern regions of Ireland, particularly in Counties Antrim and Down. The name appears in various historical records and documents from this period, such as the "Annals of Ulster" and the "Pipe Rolls of Cloyne".
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the HYLAND surname was Donagh O'Hyland, a poet and historian from County Down. He was renowned for his work "The Topography of Ireland", which provided detailed accounts of the geography and inhabitants of the island.
Another prominent individual with the HYLAND name was Sir John Hyland (1592-1639), an Irish soldier and landowner from County Antrim. He served as a Captain in the English Army during the Nine Years' War in Ireland and later acquired significant landholdings in County Antrim.
In the 18th century, a member of the HYLAND family, Patrick Hyland (1720-1789), was a renowned Irish poet and scholar. He was born in County Down and was widely recognized for his contributions to the preservation of Irish language and literature.
The name HYLAND has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Hyland's Rath and Hyland's Glen, both located in County Antrim. These place names likely derived from families or individuals with the HYLAND surname who once resided or held land in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the HYLAND surname include James Hyland (1798-1867), an Irish businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for County Antrim in the British House of Commons, and Michael Hyland (1875-1941), an Irish-American prelate who served as the Bishop of Wilmington, Delaware.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hyland
Among Census respondents with the surname Hyland, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hyland 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 Hyland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 6,751
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 347
- Two or more races3.2% · 245
- Black or African American3.1% · 235
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 65
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hyland
Hyland 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
#4,512
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,862
+12 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 2.67
Rank movement Down 325 places
2020
#4,509
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,654
-208 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 2.56
Rank movement Up 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,187 | 7,850 | 2.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,512 | 7,862 | 2.67 | +12 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 325 places |
| 2020 | #4,509 | 7,654 | 2.56 | -208 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 3 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 Hyland 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 | #4,512 | #4,509 | 0.1% |
| Count | 7,862 | 7,654 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.67 | 2.56 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hyland bearers went from 7,862 to 7,654 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,512 to #4,509.
FAQ
Hyland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hyland?
Name Census estimates that about 8,777 living Americans carry the surname Hyland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,051 residents.
How common is Hyland?
Hyland ranks #4,509 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.56 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 7,654 people with the surname Hyland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,777), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.56 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 Hyland.
Has Hyland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hyland went from 7,862 recorded bearers to 7,654. That is a decrease of 208 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,512 to #4,509.
What does the Census say about the background of Hyland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hyland, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Hyland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (6,751 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hyland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Hyland (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 Hyland mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "high land" in Old English, referring to someone who lived on high ground. 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 Hyland (2.56 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 Hyland?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.