2000
#2,932
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,272
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.18
Uncommon Last name
Hildebrand
A surname of German origin, composed of the elements "hild" meaning "battle" and "brand" meaning "sword."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,241 Americans carry the last name Hildebrand. That puts it at #3,306 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,001 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hildebrand 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 Hildebrand with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 28,001
Census rank
#3,306
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,675 bearers of the surname Hildebrand in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3306th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hildebrand, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hildebrand
The surname Hildebrand originated in Germany during the medieval period. It derives from the Old Germanic words "hild" meaning battle and "brand" meaning sword, thus literally translating to "battle-sword". The name was likely used to describe a fierce warrior or soldier.
The name can be traced back to the 8th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances appearing in the Codex Laureshamensis, an important medieval manuscript from the Lorsch Abbey in present-day Germany. In this text, a nobleman named Hildebrand von Ripuarien is mentioned.
Another early reference comes from the Nibelungenlied, a famous German epic poem dating back to around 1200 AD. One of the main characters is a warrior named Hildebrand who serves under King Gunther.
The Hildebrand surname appeared in various historic records throughout the Middle Ages, including the Domesday Book of 1086 which catalogued landowners in England after the Norman Conquest. An entry lists a landowner named Hildebrand in Gloucestershire.
Notable individuals with the Hildebrand surname include Pope Gregory VII (c.1020-1085), born Hildebrand of Sovana in Tuscany, who played a key role in the Investiture Controversy against the Holy Roman Emperor. Georg Friedrich Hildebrand (1764-1826) was a German theologian and writer. Rudolf Hildebrand (1824-1894) was a German sculptor celebrated for his works in Berlin.
Ferdinand Tönnies (1855-1936), a German sociologist and philosopher, was born Ferdinand Hildebrand before changing his surname. Hans Hildebrand (1901-1989) served as a general in the German Army during World War II. More recently, Heinrich Hildebrand (1919-2011) was an influential Austrian architect.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hildebrand
Among Census respondents with the surname Hildebrand, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hildebrand 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 Hildebrand surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 9,722
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 408
- Two or more races3.0% · 319
- Black or African American0.7% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 75
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hildebrand
Hildebrand 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
#3,072
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,687
+415 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 3.96
Rank movement Down 140 places
2020
#3,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,675
-1,012 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 3.57
Rank movement Down 234 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,932 | 11,272 | 4.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,072 | 11,687 | 3.96 | +415 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 140 places |
| 2020 | #3,306 | 10,675 | 3.57 | -1,012 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 234 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 Hildebrand 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 | #3,072 | #3,306 | -7.6% |
| Count | 11,687 | 10,675 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.96 | 3.57 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hildebrand bearers went from 11,687 to 10,675 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 234 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,072 to #3,306.
FAQ
Hildebrand surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hildebrand?
Name Census estimates that about 12,241 living Americans carry the surname Hildebrand. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,001 residents.
How common is Hildebrand?
Hildebrand ranks #3,306 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.57 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 10,675 people with the surname Hildebrand. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,241), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.57 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 Hildebrand.
Has Hildebrand become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hildebrand went from 11,687 recorded bearers to 10,675. That is a decrease of 1,012 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,072 to #3,306.
What does the Census say about the background of Hildebrand?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hildebrand, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Hildebrand in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (9,722 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hildebrand appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Hildebrand (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 Hildebrand mean?
A surname of German origin, composed of the elements "hild" meaning "battle" and "brand" meaning "sword." 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 Hildebrand (3.57 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 Hildebrand?
Find out how many people have the surname Hildebrand on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.