2000
#783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,224
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.91
Uncommon Last name
Hickman
An English occupational surname for a farmer or one who tended to or raised goats or poultry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 44,487 Americans carry the last name Hickman. That puts it at #879 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 12.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,705 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hickman 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 Hickman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
44K
1 in 7,705
Census rank
#879
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
39K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 38,795 bearers of the surname Hickman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 12.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 879th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hickman, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hickman
The surname Hickman originates from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "hic" meaning "a hack" and "mann" meaning "man," which together imply a woodcutter or laborer. The name is thought to have originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked in forestry or wood-related professions.
One of the earliest known references to the name Hickman can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as "Hiccheman" and "Hikeman." This suggests that the name was already in use during the 11th century in various parts of England.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in records as "Hykeman" and "Hikeman" in the county of Wiltshire. During this time, the name was also linked to various place names, such as Hickman's Green in Staffordshire and Hickman's Ditch in Gloucestershire.
Notable figures throughout history who bore the surname Hickman include William Hickman (c. 1430-1491), who was a member of the English Parliament for Warwickshire in the late 15th century. Another prominent individual was Sir Willoughby Hickman (1594-1648), an English soldier who served as the Governor of the Tower of London during the English Civil War.
In the 17th century, the name gained further recognition with the birth of Henry Hickman (1670-1692), a renowned English scholar and linguist who made significant contributions to the study of ancient languages. Additionally, there was Thomas Hickman (1738-1824), an English minister and author who wrote several religious works.
Moving into the 19th century, one notable figure was John Hickman (1808-1875), an English-born Australian explorer and surveyor who played a crucial role in the exploration and mapping of South Australia.
Throughout its history, the surname Hickman has been associated with various occupations, from woodcutters and laborers to scholars, soldiers, and explorers, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hickman
Among Census respondents with the surname Hickman, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hickman 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 Hickman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.0% · 27,943
- Black or African American18.2% · 7,071
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,715
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 1,364
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 476
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 226
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hickman
Hickman 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
#838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,163
+939 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 13.95
Rank movement Down 55 places
2020
#879
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 38,795
-2,368 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 12.98
Rank movement Down 41 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #783 | 40,224 | 14.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #838 | 41,163 | 13.95 | +939 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 55 places |
| 2020 | #879 | 38,795 | 12.98 | -2,368 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 41 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 Hickman 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 | #838 | #879 | -4.9% |
| Count | 41,163 | 38,795 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 13.95 | 12.98 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hickman bearers went from 41,163 to 38,795 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 41 positions in the national ranking, going from #838 to #879.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hickman
FAQ
Hickman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hickman?
Name Census estimates that about 44,487 living Americans carry the surname Hickman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,705 residents.
How common is Hickman?
Hickman ranks #879 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 12.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 38,795 people with the surname Hickman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (44,487), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 12.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 12.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Hickman.
Has Hickman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hickman went from 41,163 recorded bearers to 38,795. That is a decrease of 2,368 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #838 to #879.
What does the Census say about the background of Hickman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hickman, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.0%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Hickman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.0% (27,943 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hickman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.0%), Black (18.2%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Hickman (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 Hickman mean?
An English occupational surname for a farmer or one who tended to or raised goats or poultry. 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 Hickman (12.98 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 are called Hickman?
See how many people have the last name Hickman on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.