2000
#15,500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,734
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Hickox
Derived from a place name meaning "hill of a man called Hygeac" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,243 Americans carry the last name Hickox. That puts it at #14,615 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,811 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hickox 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.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 152,811
Census rank
#14,615
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,956 bearers of the surname Hickox in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14615th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hickox, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hickox
The surname Hickox originates from the English counties of Staffordshire and Warwickshire, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "hic," meaning a hack or chop, and "cocc," meaning a hill or mound. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a hacked or chopped hill or mound.
Early spellings of the surname include Hicok, Hicock, Hickock, and Hickox, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling during the Middle Ages. The name is found in records from the 14th century, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire from 1327, which mention a William Hicok.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John Hicock, who was mentioned in the Warwickshire Feet of Fines in 1430. Another notable figure was Thomas Hickox, a merchant from Staffordshire, who was listed in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1524.
The surname Hickox has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Hickok's Green in Staffordshire and Hickox's Field in Warwickshire. These place names likely derived from individuals with the surname who lived or owned land in those areas.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Hickox throughout history are:
1. Sir Robert Hickox (c. 1550-1625), an English politician and member of Parliament for Staffordshire.
2. Elizabeth Hickox (1620-1678), one of the early settlers of Stratford, Connecticut, in the American colonies.
3. Joseph Hickox (1698-1768), a prominent landowner and farmer in Woodbury, Connecticut, during the colonial era.
4. William Hickox (1772-1844), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler of Ohio.
5. Chauncey Hickox (1805-1890), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Cleveland, Ohio, who donated funds for the establishment of Hickox Hall at Western Reserve University (now Case Western Reserve University).
The surname Hickox has endured for centuries, reflecting the rich history and diverse backgrounds of those who have borne this name throughout England, America, and other parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hickox
Among Census respondents with the surname Hickox, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hickox 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 Hickox surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 1,780
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 74
- Two or more races3.2% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 28
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hickox
Hickox 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
#14,042
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,145
+411 bearers (+23.7%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 1,458 places
2020
#14,615
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,956
-189 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 573 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,500 | 1,734 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,042 | 2,145 | 0.73 | +411 bearers (+23.7%) | Up 1,458 places |
| 2020 | #14,615 | 1,956 | 0.65 | -189 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 573 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 Hickox 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 | #14,042 | #14,615 | -4.1% |
| Count | 2,145 | 1,956 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.65 | -10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hickox bearers went from 2,145 to 1,956 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 573 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,042 to #14,615.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hickox
FAQ
Hickox surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hickox?
Name Census estimates that about 2,243 living Americans carry the surname Hickox. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,811 residents.
How common is Hickox?
Hickox ranks #14,615 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,956 people with the surname Hickox. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,243), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hickox.
Has Hickox become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hickox went from 2,145 recorded bearers to 1,956. That is a decrease of 189 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,042 to #14,615.
What does the Census say about the background of Hickox?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hickox, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Hickox in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (1,780 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hickox appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Hickox (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 Hickox mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hill of a man called Hygeac" in Old English. 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 Hickox (0.65 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 Americans have the surname Hickox?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.