2000
#4,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,807
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.89
Rare Last name
Hynes
Derived from the Irish Ó hEidhin, meaning "descendant of Eidhin," a personal name of uncertain origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,887 Americans carry the last name Hynes. That puts it at #4,439 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,568 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hynes 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 Hynes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.9K
1 in 38,568
Census rank
#4,439
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,750 bearers of the surname Hynes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4439th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hynes, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hynes
The surname Hynes is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic personal name "O'hUigin" or "O'Higgin," meaning "descendant of Uigin." The name is believed to have originated in County Sligo, Ireland, in the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The annals mention "Tadhg O'Huigin," an Irish chieftain who lived in the 13th century.
The surname Hynes is also associated with the Irish clan of O'Higgins, which historically held lands in County Sligo and County Mayo. The name likely evolved from O'Higgin to Hynes due to anglicization and variations in spelling over time.
In the 16th century, the Hynes family was prominent in County Sligo, particularly in the area around Ballymote. Records from this period mention individuals such as Conor Hynes, a landowner in Ballymote, and Patrick Hynes, a member of the Irish Parliament in the late 1500s.
During the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s, several members of the Hynes family played notable roles, including Theobald Hynes, who served as a captain in the Confederate forces, and Patrick Hynes, who was involved in the defense of Sligo town.
In the 18th century, the Hynes family became more widespread throughout Ireland, with branches settling in counties such as Galway, Mayo, and Clare. One notable figure from this period was John Hynes (1766-1832), a Irish Catholic priest and writer who advocated for Catholic emancipation in Ireland.
Another prominent individual with the surname Hynes was Samuel Hynes (1824-1909), an Irish-born British naval officer who served in the Crimean War and was awarded the Victoria Cross for his bravery in action.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals with the surname Hynes emigrated from Ireland to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia, contributing to the spread and diversity of the name globally.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hynes
Among Census respondents with the surname Hynes, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hynes 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 Hynes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 6,851
- Black or African American4.3% · 335
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 261
- Two or more races2.8% · 214
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 65
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hynes
Hynes 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
#4,388
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,104
+297 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 2.75
Rank movement Down 180 places
2020
#4,439
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,750
-354 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 2.59
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,208 | 7,807 | 2.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,388 | 8,104 | 2.75 | +297 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 180 places |
| 2020 | #4,439 | 7,750 | 2.59 | -354 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 51 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 Hynes 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 | #4,388 | #4,439 | -1.2% |
| Count | 8,104 | 7,750 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.75 | 2.59 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hynes bearers went from 8,104 to 7,750 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,388 to #4,439.
FAQ
Hynes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hynes?
Name Census estimates that about 8,887 living Americans carry the surname Hynes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,568 residents.
How common is Hynes?
Hynes ranks #4,439 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.59 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 7,750 people with the surname Hynes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,887), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.59 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 Hynes.
Has Hynes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hynes went from 8,104 recorded bearers to 7,750. That is a decrease of 354 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,388 to #4,439.
What does the Census say about the background of Hynes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hynes, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) 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 Hynes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (6,851 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hynes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Black (4.3%), 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 Hynes (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 Hynes mean?
Derived from the Irish Ó hEidhin, meaning "descendant of Eidhin," a personal name of uncertain origin. 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 Hynes (2.59 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 last name Hynes?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Hynes, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.