2000
#435
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 68,021
First available Census row
Per 100,000 25.22
Uncommon Last name
Hubbard
An occupational surname referring to a producer or seller of hubbard, a type of saltwater fish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 78,013 Americans carry the last name Hubbard. That puts it at #481 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 22.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,394 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hubbard 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 Hubbard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
78K
1 in 4,394
Census rank
#481
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
22.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
68K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 68,031 bearers of the surname Hubbard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 22.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 481st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hubbard, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.3%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hubbard
The surname Hubbard is an English name that originated in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "hubba" meaning a knoll or small hill, and "hyrde" meaning a herdsman or shepherd. The name initially referred to someone who tended livestock on a small hill or raised area of land.
This occupational surname first appeared in records from the county of Yorkshire in northern England, where many early Hubbard families lived and worked as shepherds or livestock farmers on the rolling hills and dales of the region. Early spellings of the name included Huberd, Hubard, and Hubberde.
One of the earliest known references to the name Hubbard can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a census-like record from the reign of King Edward I. The entry lists a Walter Huberd from Yorkshire. Another early record is the Wakefield Court Rolls of 1275, which mention a Robert Hubard.
In the 14th century, the surname Hubbard began to spread beyond Yorkshire as families migrated to other parts of England. The name can be found in various medieval records and documents, such as the Poll Tax Returns of 1379, which include a John Hubbard from Lincolnshire.
Prominent individuals with the surname Hubbard throughout history include William Hubbard (1621-1704), an early colonial historian and minister in Massachusetts; Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915), an American writer, publisher, and philosopher known for founding the Roycroft artisan community; Gardiner Greene Hubbard (1822-1897), an American philanthropist and founder of the National Geographic Society; and Thomas Hubbard (1586-1639), an early English settler and landowner in colonial Virginia.
Another notable figure was Edmund Hubbard (c.1460-1515), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1512. He was involved in the construction of several notable buildings in the city, including the famous Hubbard's Hall.
The surname Hubbard has a long and rich history, with roots dating back to the medieval era in England. Its origins as an occupational name reflect the agricultural and pastoral traditions of the regions where it first appeared.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hubbard
Among Census respondents with the surname Hubbard, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.3%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hubbard 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 Hubbard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.3% · 46,483
- Black or African American22.3% · 15,184
- Two or more races4.6% · 3,150
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 2,211
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 615
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 388
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hubbard
Hubbard 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
#470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 70,362
+2,341 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 23.85
Rank movement Down 35 places
2020
#481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 68,031
-2,331 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 22.76
Rank movement Down 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #435 | 68,021 | 25.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #470 | 70,362 | 23.85 | +2,341 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 35 places |
| 2020 | #481 | 68,031 | 22.76 | -2,331 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 11 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 Hubbard 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 | #470 | #481 | -2.3% |
| Count | 70,362 | 68,031 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 23.85 | 22.76 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hubbard bearers went from 70,362 to 68,031 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #470 to #481.
FAQ
Hubbard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hubbard?
Name Census estimates that about 78,013 living Americans carry the surname Hubbard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,394 residents.
How common is Hubbard?
Hubbard ranks #481 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 22.76 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 68,031 people with the surname Hubbard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (78,013), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 22.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 22.76 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 Hubbard.
Has Hubbard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hubbard went from 70,362 recorded bearers to 68,031. That is a decrease of 2,331 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #470 to #481.
What does the Census say about the background of Hubbard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hubbard, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.3%. The next largest groups are Black (22.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Hubbard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.3% (46,483 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hubbard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.3%), Black (22.3%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Hubbard (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 Hubbard mean?
An occupational surname referring to a producer or seller of hubbard, a type of saltwater fish. 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 Hubbard (22.76 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 Americans have the surname Hubbard?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.