2000
#4,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,765
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.88
Rare Last name
Hylton
From a place name meaning "hill farm" in Old English, referring to a settlement on or near a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,788 Americans carry the last name Hylton. That puts it at #4,038 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,018 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hylton 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 Hylton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.8K
1 in 35,018
Census rank
#4,038
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,536 bearers of the surname Hylton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4038th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hylton, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.1%. The next largest groups are Black (31.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hylton
The surname Hylton originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name derived from one of several places in England called Hilton or Hylton. These place names are derived from the Old English words "hyll" meaning hill and "tun" meaning settlement or enclosure.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Hylton can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Hiltun" in Yorkshire. This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the late 11th century.
The Hylton family was prominent in the county of Durham, where they held lands and titles for several centuries. Sir William Hylton, who lived during the reign of King Edward III (1312-1377), was a renowned knight and landowner in Durham.
Another notable figure with the surname Hylton was John Hylton, a Carthusian monk who lived in the 15th century. He was the author of several religious works, including a treatise on spiritual contemplation titled "The Ladder of Perfection."
During the Tudor period, there was a Sir Thomas Hylton who served as a member of Parliament for Durham in the mid-16th century. His son, also named Thomas Hylton, was a prominent lawyer and judge during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Hylton family settled in Virginia, where they established plantations and became influential in colonial society. One of the earliest members of this branch was Reverend Lewis Hylton, who was born in England in 1617 and later emigrated to Virginia.
Other notable individuals with the surname Hylton include Walter Hylton, an English mystic and author who lived in the 14th century, and John Hylton, a prominent English architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the 18th century.
Overall, the surname Hylton has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval England, where it was likely derived from the names of various settlements or localities. Throughout the centuries, the Hylton name has been associated with notable figures in various fields, including religion, law, architecture, and landowners.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hylton
Among Census respondents with the surname Hylton, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.1%. The next largest groups are Black (31.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hylton 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 Hylton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.1% · 5,046
- Black or African American31.4% · 2,681
- Two or more races4.5% · 388
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 346
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hylton
Hylton 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
#4,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,440
+675 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 2.86
Rank movement Up 27 places
2020
#4,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,536
+96 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 2.86
Rank movement Up 161 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,226 | 7,765 | 2.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,199 | 8,440 | 2.86 | +675 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 27 places |
| 2020 | #4,038 | 8,536 | 2.86 | +96 bearers (+1.1%) | Up 161 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 Hylton 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 | #4,199 | #4,038 | 3.8% |
| Count | 8,440 | 8,536 | 1.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.86 | 2.86 | -0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hylton bearers went from 8,440 to 8,536 (+1.1% change). The surname moved up 161 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,199 to #4,038.
FAQ
Hylton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hylton?
Name Census estimates that about 9,788 living Americans carry the surname Hylton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,018 residents.
How common is Hylton?
Hylton ranks #4,038 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.86 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 8,536 people with the surname Hylton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,788), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.86 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 Hylton.
Has Hylton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hylton went from 8,440 recorded bearers to 8,536. That is an increase of 96 (+1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,199 to #4,038.
What does the Census say about the background of Hylton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hylton, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.1%. The next largest groups are Black (31.4%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Hylton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.1% (5,046 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hylton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.1%), Black (31.4%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Hylton (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 Hylton mean?
From a place name meaning "hill farm" in Old English, referring to a settlement on or near a hill. 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 Hylton (2.86 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 share the surname Hylton?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.