2000
#659
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,220
First available Census row
Per 100,000 17.50
Uncommon Last name
Hobbs
A surname derived from the given name Robert, meaning "bright fame," or referring to someone living near a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 53,072 Americans carry the last name Hobbs. That puts it at #730 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,458 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hobbs 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 Hobbs with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
53K
1 in 6,458
Census rank
#730
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
46K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 46,281 bearers of the surname Hobbs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 730th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hobbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hobbs
The surname Hobbs originated in England, and its earliest origins can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "hob," which referred to a clump or lump, and was likely used as a nickname for someone with a sturdy or stout physique.
The name Hobbs is found in various historical records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name was already in use before the Norman Conquest of 1066.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hobbs can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, where a person named Richard Hobbe is mentioned. This spelling variation, "Hobbe," was common in the Middle Ages.
In the 13th century, the name Hobbes appears in the Curia Regis Rolls of Oxfordshire, referring to a person named William Hobbes. This spelling variation suggests a connection to the Old English word "hobb," which meant "a lump or clump."
During the 14th century, the name Hobbs was associated with several place names in England, such as Hobbis Hill in Warwickshire and Hobbes Hole in Gloucestershire, indicating that the name had become well-established in various regions.
One notable figure from history who bore the surname Hobbs was Sir William Hobbs (c. 1570-1630), an English lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Court of King's Bench during the reign of King Charles I.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), an English philosopher who is best known for his political philosophy outlined in his seminal work, "Leviathan." Hobbes is considered one of the founders of modern political philosophy.
In the 18th century, William Hobbs (1717-1790) gained recognition as a celebrated English landscape gardener and nurseryman. He is credited with designing the gardens at Painshill Park in Surrey, which is now recognized as one of the finest surviving examples of an 18th-century landscape garden.
During the 19th century, William Hobbs (1792-1865), an English architect, left his mark on the architectural landscape of London, designing notable buildings such as the Carlton Club and the Travellers Club.
Another notable figure with this surname was Sir Albert Hobbs (1859-1944), a British civil servant who served as the Permanent Secretary to the Board of Education from 1914 to 1920.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hobbs
Among Census respondents with the surname Hobbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hobbs 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 Hobbs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.3% · 35,312
- Black or African American15.2% · 7,038
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,851
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 1,459
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 387
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 234
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hobbs
Hobbs 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
#717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 48,522
+1,302 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 16.45
Rank movement Down 58 places
2020
#730
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,281
-2,241 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 15.48
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #659 | 47,220 | 17.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #717 | 48,522 | 16.45 | +1,302 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 58 places |
| 2020 | #730 | 46,281 | 15.48 | -2,241 bearers (-4.6%) | 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 Hobbs 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 | #717 | #730 | -1.8% |
| Count | 48,522 | 46,281 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 16.45 | 15.48 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hobbs bearers went from 48,522 to 46,281 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #717 to #730.
FAQ
Hobbs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hobbs?
Name Census estimates that about 53,072 living Americans carry the surname Hobbs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,458 residents.
How common is Hobbs?
Hobbs ranks #730 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 46,281 people with the surname Hobbs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (53,072), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Hobbs.
Has Hobbs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hobbs went from 48,522 recorded bearers to 46,281. That is a decrease of 2,241 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #717 to #730.
What does the Census say about the background of Hobbs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hobbs, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.3%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Hobbs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.3% (35,312 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hobbs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.3%), Black (15.2%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Hobbs (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 Hobbs mean?
A surname derived from the given name Robert, meaning "bright fame," or referring to someone living near a hill. 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 Hobbs (15.48 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 Hobbs?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.