2000
#3,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,908
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.67
Uncommon Last name
Hodgson
Son of Hodge, a medieval diminutive of Roger.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,355 Americans carry the last name Hodgson. That puts it at #3,514 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,185 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hodgson 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 Hodgson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,185
Census rank
#3,514
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,902 bearers of the surname Hodgson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3514th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hodgson, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hodgson
The surname Hodgson originated in England and is derived from the Middle English words "hodge," meaning a familiar form of the name Roger, and "son," meaning son of. It can be traced back to the 13th century and is believed to have its roots in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire and Lancashire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hodgson can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, where a certain William Hodgeson is mentioned. The Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname, but it does mention several place names that may have contributed to its formation, such as Hodgeston (now known as Huddleston) in Yorkshire.
In the 15th century, the surname Hodgson appeared in various historical records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1429, which listed a Ralph Hodgeson. Another notable entry is found in the Feet of Fines for Lancashire in 1486, where a John Hodgeson is mentioned.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Hodgson was Reverend Robert Hodgson (c.1490-1555), who served as the Dean of Carlisle Cathedral in Cumbria. Another prominent figure was Captain John Hodgson (1599-1660), an English sea captain and merchant adventurer who played a significant role in the early colonization of Virginia.
In the literary world, Brian Houghton Hodgson (1800-1894), a British naturalist and ethnologist, made significant contributions to the study of Himalayan cultures and languages. He served as the British Resident in Nepal for over two decades and is credited with introducing the study of Tibetan Buddhism to the West.
Other notable individuals with the surname Hodgson include Studholme Hodgson (1707-1798), an English mathematician and tutor at Oxford University, and Ralph Hodgson (1871-1962), an English poet and playwright best known for his works "The Song of Honour" and "The Bull."
Throughout history, the surname Hodgson has been spelled in various ways, such as Hodgeson, Hodgsonne, and Hodgesone, reflecting regional variations and changes in spelling conventions over time. The name has also been associated with several place names, including Hodgsonton and Hodgson's Farm, both in Nottinghamshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hodgson
Among Census respondents with the surname Hodgson, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hodgson 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 Hodgson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 8,498
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 825
- Two or more races2.7% · 269
- Black or African American1.9% · 186
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 83
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hodgson
Hodgson 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
#3,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,173
+265 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 3.45
Rank movement Down 197 places
2020
#3,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,902
-271 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 3.31
Rank movement Down 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,314 | 9,908 | 3.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,511 | 10,173 | 3.45 | +265 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 197 places |
| 2020 | #3,514 | 9,902 | 3.31 | -271 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 3 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 Hodgson 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 | #3,511 | #3,514 | -0.1% |
| Count | 10,173 | 9,902 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.45 | 3.31 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hodgson bearers went from 10,173 to 9,902 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,511 to #3,514.
FAQ
Hodgson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hodgson?
Name Census estimates that about 11,355 living Americans carry the surname Hodgson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,185 residents.
How common is Hodgson?
Hodgson ranks #3,514 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,902 people with the surname Hodgson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,355), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Hodgson.
Has Hodgson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hodgson went from 10,173 recorded bearers to 9,902. That is a decrease of 271 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,511 to #3,514.
What does the Census say about the background of Hodgson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hodgson, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Hodgson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (8,498 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hodgson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Hispanic (8.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Hodgson (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 Hodgson mean?
Son of Hodge, a medieval diminutive of Roger. 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 Hodgson (3.31 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 Hodgson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.