2000
#55,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 343
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Hoblit
An English surname derived from a medieval personal name derived from an Old English word meaning "hollow."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 349 Americans carry the last name Hoblit. That puts it at #69,562 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 982,104 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hoblit 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
349
1 in 982,104
Census rank
#69,562
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
304
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 304 bearers of the surname Hoblit in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 69562nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoblit, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hoblit
The surname HOBLIT is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy in northern France during the early medieval period. Its roots can be traced back to the Old Norse words 'hob' and 'lit', which together meant 'small person'. This suggests that the name was likely a descriptive nickname given to someone of diminutive stature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry lists a person named Hobbelet as a tenant in the village of Clapham, near Bedford.
In the 13th century, the name is found in various forms such as Hoblit, Hoblyt, and Hobelet in records from the counties of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, and Essex. This indicates that the name had spread across parts of eastern and southern England, likely due to the Norman influence following the conquest of 1066.
A notable bearer of the surname was John Hoblit, a merchant and alderman who lived in the city of London during the late 15th century. He is mentioned in several historical documents from the reigns of Edward IV and Richard III.
Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Hoblit, a judge and member of Parliament who served during the reign of Henry VIII in the early 16th century. He played a role in the dissolution of the monasteries and was known for his expertise in canon law.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Hoblett, Hoblitt, and Hoblit in parish records from counties like Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Warwickshire. One individual of note was William Hoblit, a Puritan clergyman who emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s and became a prominent figure in the early days of the settlement.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname continued to be found in various parts of England, with concentrations in the Midlands and southern counties. Notable bearers included Samuel Hoblit, a renowned engraver and printmaker who was active in London during the late 1700s, and Emily Hoblit, a children's author and educator who published several works in the mid-1800s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hoblit
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoblit, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Hoblit 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 Hoblit surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 278
- Two or more races5.9% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hoblit
Hoblit 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
#60,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 336
-7 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 4,196 places
2020
#69,562
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 304
-32 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 9,517 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #55,849 | 343 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #60,045 | 336 | 0.11 | -7 bearers (-2.0%) | Down 4,196 places |
| 2020 | #69,562 | 304 | 0.10 | -32 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 9,517 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 Hoblit 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 | #60,045 | #69,562 | -15.8% |
| Count | 336 | 304 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.10 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hoblit bearers went from 336 to 304 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 9,517 positions in the national ranking, going from #60,045 to #69,562.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hoblit
FAQ
Hoblit surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hoblit?
Name Census estimates that about 349 living Americans carry the surname Hoblit. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 982,104 residents.
How common is Hoblit?
Hoblit ranks #69,562 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 304 people with the surname Hoblit. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (349), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hoblit.
Has Hoblit become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hoblit went from 336 recorded bearers to 304. That is a decrease of 32 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #60,045 to #69,562.
What does the Census say about the background of Hoblit?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hoblit, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%). 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 Hoblit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (278 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hoblit appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Two or More Races (5.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.3%). 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 Hoblit (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 Hoblit mean?
An English surname derived from a medieval personal name derived from an Old English word meaning "hollow." 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 Hoblit (0.10 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 share the surname Hoblit?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.