2000
#5,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,589
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.07
Rare Last name
Hotchkiss
An English occupational surname referring to a maker of agricultural implements, from the Middle English word "hotchkiss".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,038 Americans carry the last name Hotchkiss. That puts it at #6,230 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,766 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hotchkiss 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 Hotchkiss with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.0K
1 in 56,766
Census rank
#6,230
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,265 bearers of the surname Hotchkiss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6230th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hotchkiss, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hotchkiss
The surname Hotchkiss is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "hoc" meaning "hook" and "hyss" meaning "wood" or "thicket." It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a hooked or curved area of woodland.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Hotchkiss dates back to the 13th century in Essex, England. In the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, there is a reference to a Thomas de Hochekys.
During the medieval period, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Hochekys, Hochekisse, and Hockekys, reflecting the diverse pronunciations and scribal variations common at the time.
While the Hotchkiss surname is not found in the Domesday Book of 1086, it is likely that the name emerged in the centuries following the Norman Conquest, as many English surnames developed from descriptive nicknames or references to geographic features.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Hotchkiss (c. 1390-1456), a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Essex. His descendants continued to hold significant estates in the county for several generations.
Another historical figure was Edward Hotchkiss (1617-1690), one of the early settlers of the Connecticut Colony in America. He was among the founders of the town of Stratford, Connecticut, in 1639.
In the 18th century, Benjamin Hotchkiss (1736-1808) was a notable American inventor and gunsmith from Connecticut. He is credited with developing several improvements to firearms during the Revolutionary War era.
During the 19th century, Benjamin B. Hotchkiss (1801-1885) was a prominent American industrialist and inventor from Connecticut. He founded the Hotchkiss Gun Company, which produced the Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon, a significant advancement in ordnance technology.
Other notable individuals with the Hotchkiss surname include Sir Edmund Hotchkiss (1885-1967), a British naval officer and recipient of the Victoria Cross, and Gail Hotchkiss (1912-2001), an American playwright and screenwriter known for her work on the film "The Member of the Wedding."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hotchkiss
Among Census respondents with the surname Hotchkiss, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hotchkiss 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 Hotchkiss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 4,747
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 207
- Two or more races3.0% · 157
- Black or African American1.4% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 65
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hotchkiss
Hotchkiss 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
#6,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,639
+50 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Down 388 places
2020
#6,230
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,265
-374 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.76
Rank movement Down 151 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,691 | 5,589 | 2.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,079 | 5,639 | 1.91 | +50 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 388 places |
| 2020 | #6,230 | 5,265 | 1.76 | -374 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 151 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 Hotchkiss 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 | #6,079 | #6,230 | -2.5% |
| Count | 5,639 | 5,265 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.91 | 1.76 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hotchkiss bearers went from 5,639 to 5,265 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 151 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,079 to #6,230.
FAQ
Hotchkiss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hotchkiss?
Name Census estimates that about 6,038 living Americans carry the surname Hotchkiss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,766 residents.
How common is Hotchkiss?
Hotchkiss ranks #6,230 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,265 people with the surname Hotchkiss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,038), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hotchkiss.
Has Hotchkiss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hotchkiss went from 5,639 recorded bearers to 5,265. That is a decrease of 374 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,079 to #6,230.
What does the Census say about the background of Hotchkiss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hotchkiss, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) 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 Hotchkiss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (4,747 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hotchkiss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (3.9%), 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 Hotchkiss (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 Hotchkiss mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker of agricultural implements, from the Middle English word "hotchkiss". 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 Hotchkiss (1.76 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 surname Hotchkiss?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.