2000
#754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,656
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.44
Uncommon Last name
Hull
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived in a town or village called Hull.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 47,801 Americans carry the last name Hull. That puts it at #805 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,170 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hull 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 Hull with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
48K
1 in 7,170
Census rank
#805
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
42K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 41,685 bearers of the surname Hull in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 805th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hull, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hull
The surname Hull is of English origin and is believed to have emerged during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "hull," which referred to a hill or a rounded ridge. This suggests that the name Hull was likely a topographic surname, given to individuals who lived near or on a hill or a ridge.
The name Hull is recorded in various historical documents, including the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions several individuals with the surname Hull or similar spellings, such as Hulla or Hulle. This indicates that the name was already well-established in England by the late 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hull is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mentions a man named William de Hull. This suggests that the surname had already become hereditary by the 12th century.
Many individuals with the surname Hull have been associated with various locations throughout history. For example, the city of Hull in East Yorkshire, England, is believed to have derived its name from the Old English word "hull," meaning a hill or a ridge. This connection between the surname and the place name reinforces the topographic origins of the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Hull throughout history include:
1. Robert Hull (c. 1499 - c. 1539), an English mathematician and writer who authored several works on navigation and astronomy.
2. Thomas Hull (1628 - 1683), one of the founders of the town of Windsor, Connecticut, in the United States.
3. Isaac Hull (1773 - 1843), an American naval officer who commanded the USS Constitution during the War of 1812.
4. Edith Hull (1880 - 1947), a British author and translator known for her works on spiritualism and theosophy.
5. Cordell Hull (1871 - 1955), an American politician who served as the United States Secretary of State from 1933 to 1944 and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1945.
While the surname Hull has been associated with various locations and individuals throughout history, its origins can be traced back to the Old English word "hull," reflecting the topographic nature of many early English surnames.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hull
Among Census respondents with the surname Hull, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hull 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 Hull surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.4% · 34,330
- Black or African American8.4% · 3,488
- Two or more races4.2% · 1,754
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,499
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 330
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 284
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hull
Hull 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
#807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 43,018
+1,362 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 14.58
Rank movement Down 53 places
2020
#805
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,685
-1,333 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 13.95
Rank movement Up 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #754 | 41,656 | 15.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #807 | 43,018 | 14.58 | +1,362 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 53 places |
| 2020 | #805 | 41,685 | 13.95 | -1,333 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 2 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 Hull 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 | #807 | #805 | 0.2% |
| Count | 43,018 | 41,685 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 14.58 | 13.95 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hull bearers went from 43,018 to 41,685 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #807 to #805.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hull
FAQ
Hull surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hull?
Name Census estimates that about 47,801 living Americans carry the surname Hull. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,170 residents.
How common is Hull?
Hull ranks #805 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 41,685 people with the surname Hull. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (47,801), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Hull.
Has Hull become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hull went from 43,018 recorded bearers to 41,685. That is a decrease of 1,333 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #807 to #805.
What does the Census say about the background of Hull?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hull, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Hull in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (34,330 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hull appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.4%), Black (8.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Hull (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 Hull mean?
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived in a town or village called Hull. 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 Hull (13.95 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 are called Hull?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Hull? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.