2000
#5,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,979
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.22
Rare Last name
Hack
An English occupational surname for someone who made or used hoes, mattocks, or other cutting tools.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,568 Americans carry the last name Hack. That puts it at #5,819 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,185 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hack 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 Hack with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.6K
1 in 52,185
Census rank
#5,819
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,728 bearers of the surname Hack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5819th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hack, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hack
The surname "HACK" has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English word "haecc," which means a gate or a grating, referring to a person who lived near such a structure or worked as a gatekeeper.
One of the earliest records of the name can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "William atte Hack." This entry suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive surname given to someone living near a gate or hatch.
In the 14th century, the name can be found in various forms, such as "de la Hack" and "atte Hak," which further reinforces the connection to gates or hatches. The variant spelling "Hack" became more common in the 15th and 16th centuries.
One notable historical figure with the surname "HACK" was Sir John Hack, a Member of Parliament for Coventry in the 16th century. He was born around 1530 and played a role in the English Reformation under Queen Elizabeth I.
Another early bearer of the name was Thomas Hack, a merchant and shipowner from Bristol, England, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was involved in the early colonization efforts in North America and helped finance expeditions to Virginia.
In the 17th century, the name can be found in various records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk from 1626, which lists a William Hack. During this period, the name also appears in connection with places like Hackney in London, suggesting a possible link to a location with a similar name.
One notable figure from the 18th century was Sir Henry Hack, a British naval officer who was born in 1708 and served during the Seven Years' War. He rose to the rank of Vice Admiral and played a significant role in several naval battles.
In the 19th century, the name "HACK" was associated with several prominent individuals, including Maria Hack, an English author and poet who lived from 1777 to 1844. She published several works of poetry and prose and was known for her support of abolition and women's rights.
Overall, the surname "HACK" has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval England, where it was likely derived from a connection to gates or hatches. Throughout the centuries, the name has been associated with various notable individuals across different fields, reflecting its enduring presence in English society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hack
Among Census respondents with the surname Hack, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hack 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 Hack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 4,936
- Black or African American3.6% · 207
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 200
- Two or more races3.2% · 185
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 168
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hack
Hack 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
#5,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,468
+489 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 2.19
Rank movement Down 21 places
2020
#5,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,728
-740 bearers (-11.4%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Down 440 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,358 | 5,979 | 2.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,379 | 6,468 | 2.19 | +489 bearers (+8.2%) | Down 21 places |
| 2020 | #5,819 | 5,728 | 1.92 | -740 bearers (-11.4%) | Down 440 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 Hack 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 | #5,379 | #5,819 | -8.2% |
| Count | 6,468 | 5,728 | -11.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.19 | 1.92 | -12.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hack bearers went from 6,468 to 5,728 (-11.4% change). The surname moved down 440 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,379 to #5,819.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hack
FAQ
Hack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hack?
Name Census estimates that about 6,568 living Americans carry the surname Hack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,185 residents.
How common is Hack?
Hack ranks #5,819 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,728 people with the surname Hack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,568), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hack.
Has Hack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hack went from 6,468 recorded bearers to 5,728. That is a decrease of 740 (-11.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,379 to #5,819.
What does the Census say about the background of Hack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hack, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Hack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (4,936 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Black (3.6%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Hack (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 Hack mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who made or used hoes, mattocks, or other cutting tools. 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 Hack (1.92 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 Hack?
Want to know how many people have the surname Hack? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.