2000
#4,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,901
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.56
Rare Last name
Hughey
Derived from the given name Hugh, meaning "heart, mind, or spirit," or from the Germanic element hug, meaning "heart, mind."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,438 Americans carry the last name Hughey. That puts it at #5,200 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,082 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hughey 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
7.4K
1 in 46,082
Census rank
#5,200
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,486 bearers of the surname Hughey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5200th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hughey, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hughey
The surname Hughey has its origins in Ireland, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a variant of the Irish surname Hughes, which is derived from the Old Welsh personal name Hughe or Hugh. This name, in turn, is thought to be derived from the Germanic name Hugo, meaning "bright in mind and spirit."
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Hughey can be found in Irish records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Seán Ó hUiginn, a renowned bard and poet from County Sligo, who lived in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the Hughey surname appeared in various parts of Ireland, including counties Antrim, Down, and Armagh. During this period, the spelling of the name was often interchangeable with Hughes and other variants such as Hughy and Hewey.
One notable figure from this era was Reverend Robert Hughey, an Irish Presbyterian minister who was born in County Antrim in 1643. He played a significant role in the establishment of Presbyterianism in Ireland.
As the Irish diaspora spread across the world, the Hughey surname traveled with them. In the late 18th century, a family bearing the name settled in the American colonies, with records showing a John Hughey living in Virginia in the 1780s.
Another prominent individual with the Hughey surname was William Hughey, an Irish-born soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was born in County Donegal in 1755 and served in the Continental Army.
In the 19th century, the Hughey surname continued to appear in various parts of the United States. One notable bearer was Samuel Hughey, a lawyer and politician from Ohio who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1847 to 1849.
Across the Atlantic, the name also had a presence in England, with records showing a William Hughey born in London in 1821. He was a successful businessman and philanthropist.
As the centuries progressed, the Hughey surname spread further across the globe, with bearers of the name making their mark in various fields, from academia to the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hughey
Among Census respondents with the surname Hughey, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hughey 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 Hughey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.6% · 4,582
- Black or African American20.2% · 1,312
- Two or more races5.1% · 331
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 192
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hughey
Hughey 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
#5,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,830
-71 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 2.32
Rank movement Down 428 places
2020
#5,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,486
-344 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 2.17
Rank movement Down 76 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,696 | 6,901 | 2.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,124 | 6,830 | 2.32 | -71 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 428 places |
| 2020 | #5,200 | 6,486 | 2.17 | -344 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 76 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 Hughey 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 | #5,124 | #5,200 | -1.5% |
| Count | 6,830 | 6,486 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.32 | 2.17 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hughey bearers went from 6,830 to 6,486 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 76 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,124 to #5,200.
FAQ
Hughey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hughey?
Name Census estimates that about 7,438 living Americans carry the surname Hughey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,082 residents.
How common is Hughey?
Hughey ranks #5,200 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.17 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 6,486 people with the surname Hughey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,438), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.17 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 Hughey.
Has Hughey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hughey went from 6,830 recorded bearers to 6,486. That is a decrease of 344 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,124 to #5,200.
What does the Census say about the background of Hughey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hughey, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.6%. The next largest groups are Black (20.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Hughey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.6% (4,582 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hughey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.6%), Black (20.2%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Hughey (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 Hughey mean?
Derived from the given name Hugh, meaning "heart, mind, or spirit," or from the Germanic element hug, meaning "heart, mind." 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 Hughey (2.17 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 Hughey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.