2000
#2,910
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,354
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.21
Uncommon Last name
Hyman
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Hebrew word "chaim," meaning "life," and likely referring to a midwife or doctor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,279 Americans carry the last name Hyman. That puts it at #3,293 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 27,914 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hyman 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 Hyman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 27,914
Census rank
#3,293
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,708 bearers of the surname Hyman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3293rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hyman, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.0%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hyman
The surname Hyman is of Jewish origin, derived from the Hebrew given name Chaim, meaning "life." It first emerged in the Middle Ages, particularly in Eastern European regions like Poland, Russia, and parts of Germany, where large Jewish communities existed.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hyman can be found in the Kehillat Shem Tov, a 16th-century collection of Jewish records from Prague. It mentions a Rabbi Hyman ben Yitzchak, who lived in the early 1500s.
The name Hyman was often written as Hayman or Heiman in old records, reflecting variations in spelling and pronunciation across different regions. In some areas, it was also associated with place names like Heymann or Heyman, suggesting a possible connection to a specific town or village.
During the Middle Ages, the name Hyman was occasionally recorded in tax rolls and census records, though it was not as common as some other Jewish surnames of the time. One notable example is Hyman of Würzburg, a 13th-century Jewish scholar and theologian from the city of Würzburg in modern-day Germany.
As Jewish communities migrated westward, the name Hyman spread to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States is Samuel Hyman, a merchant who arrived in New York from England in the late 17th century.
Other historical figures bearing the surname Hyman include:
1. Sir Benjamin Hyman (1766-1838), a British merchant and philanthropist who supported various educational and charitable causes.
2. Judah Hyman (1854-1926), a Russian-born American businessman and real estate developer in New York City.
3. Libby Hyman (1888-1973), an American zoologist and author of several influential textbooks on invertebrate zoology.
4. Stanley Edgar Hyman (1919-1970), an American literary critic and author known for his work on literary naturalism and modernism.
5. Paul D. Hyman (1928-2011), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Jockey International clothing company.
While the surname Hyman has its roots in Jewish culture and tradition, it has become more widespread and can be found among people of various backgrounds and ethnicities across the globe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hyman
Among Census respondents with the surname Hyman, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.0%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hyman 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 Hyman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.0% · 6,320
- Black or African American33.0% · 3,538
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 365
- Two or more races3.4% · 361
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 100
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hyman
Hyman 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
#3,158
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,436
+82 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 3.88
Rank movement Down 248 places
2020
#3,293
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,708
-728 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 3.58
Rank movement Down 135 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,910 | 11,354 | 4.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,158 | 11,436 | 3.88 | +82 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 248 places |
| 2020 | #3,293 | 10,708 | 3.58 | -728 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 135 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 Hyman 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 | #3,158 | #3,293 | -4.3% |
| Count | 11,436 | 10,708 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.88 | 3.58 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hyman bearers went from 11,436 to 10,708 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 135 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,158 to #3,293.
FAQ
Hyman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hyman?
Name Census estimates that about 12,279 living Americans carry the surname Hyman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 27,914 residents.
How common is Hyman?
Hyman ranks #3,293 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,708 people with the surname Hyman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,279), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Hyman.
Has Hyman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hyman went from 11,436 recorded bearers to 10,708. That is a decrease of 728 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,158 to #3,293.
What does the Census say about the background of Hyman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hyman, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.0%. The next largest groups are Black (33.0%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Hyman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.0% (6,320 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hyman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.0%), Black (33.0%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Hyman (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 Hyman mean?
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Hebrew word "chaim," meaning "life," and likely referring to a midwife or doctor. 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 Hyman (3.58 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 Hyman?
You can see how common the surname Hyman is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.