2000
#432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 68,145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 25.26
Uncommon Last name
Hines
Derived from a place name meaning "dweller by the hind's spring or stream" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 78,644 Americans carry the last name Hines. That puts it at #475 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 22.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,358 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hines 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 Hines with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
79K
1 in 4,358
Census rank
#475
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
22.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
69K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 68,581 bearers of the surname Hines in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 22.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 475th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hines, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.5%. The next largest groups are Black (35.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hines
The surname Hines has its origins in Ireland, where it can be traced back to the early 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "O'hInnsi," which means "descendant of Innsi." The name was initially associated with the ancient Irish kingdom of Ui Briuin Chualann, located in what is now County Dublin and County Wicklow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hines can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a historical chronicle compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention a notable figure named Domhnall O'hInnsi, who was a member of the Ui Briuin Chualann dynasty and lived in the 12th century.
The name Hines has also been linked to various place names in Ireland, such as Hines Castle in County Dublin and Hines Bridge in County Wicklow. These place names likely originated from the presence of families bearing the surname Hines in those areas.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Hines underwent several spelling variations, including O'Hines, O'Hynnes, and Hynes. This was a common occurrence as surnames became more standardized during this period.
One notable bearer of the name Hines was Sir John Hines (1554-1623), an English military commander and landowner who served under Elizabeth I and James I. Another prominent figure was Michael Hines (1800-1868), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, from 1854 to 1856.
In the realm of literature, the name Hines is associated with the Irish novelist and playwright John Hines (1884-1944), who was known for his works exploring the lives of the working class in Dublin.
The Hines family also played a significant role in the development of aviation. James Milton Hines (1856-1928) and his son John Walter Hines (1888-1956) were pioneering aviators who established the Hines Aircraft Company in the early 20th century.
Finally, it is worth mentioning Father John Hines (1838-1914), a Catholic priest and educator who founded St. Vincent's College in Los Angeles, California, which later became Loyola Marymount University.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hines
Among Census respondents with the surname Hines, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.5%. The next largest groups are Black (35.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hines 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 Hines surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.5% · 38,059
- Black or African American35.7% · 24,474
- Two or more races4.5% · 3,111
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 2,224
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 413
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 300
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hines
Hines 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
#462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 71,717
+3,572 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 24.31
Rank movement Down 30 places
2020
#475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 68,581
-3,136 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 22.94
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #432 | 68,145 | 25.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #462 | 71,717 | 24.31 | +3,572 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 30 places |
| 2020 | #475 | 68,581 | 22.94 | -3,136 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 13 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 Hines 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 | #462 | #475 | -2.8% |
| Count | 71,717 | 68,581 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 24.31 | 22.94 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hines bearers went from 71,717 to 68,581 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #462 to #475.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hines
FAQ
Hines surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hines?
Name Census estimates that about 78,644 living Americans carry the surname Hines. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,358 residents.
How common is Hines?
Hines ranks #475 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 22.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 23 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 68,581 people with the surname Hines. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (78,644), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 22.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 22.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 23 of them to have the surname Hines.
Has Hines become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hines went from 71,717 recorded bearers to 68,581. That is a decrease of 3,136 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #462 to #475.
What does the Census say about the background of Hines?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hines, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.5%. The next largest groups are Black (35.7%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Hines in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.5% (38,059 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hines appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.5%), Black (35.7%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Hines (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 Hines mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "dweller by the hind's spring or stream" 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 Hines (22.94 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 Hines?
See how many people have the last name Hines on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.