2000
#66,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 276
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Hurts
An English and Scottish surname derived from a nickname for someone who was pugnacious or aggressive.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 365 Americans carry the last name Hurts. That puts it at #67,004 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 939,053 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hurts 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
365
1 in 939,053
Census rank
#67,004
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
318
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 318 bearers of the surname Hurts in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 67004th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hurts, the largest self-reported group is Black at 78.0%. The next largest groups are White (16.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hurts
The surname "Hurts" is believed to have originated in England, likely during the Anglo-Saxon period between the 5th and 11th centuries. It is thought to be a locative surname, derived from a place name that may have included the Old English word "hyrst," meaning a wooded hill or hillock.
One possible origin of the name could be the village of Hurst in Berkshire, England, which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086. The village name is derived from the Old English words "hyrst" and "tun," meaning a village or settlement on a wooded hill.
Another potential source is the town of Hurstbourne Tarrant in Hampshire, England, which was recorded as "Hursseburne" in the Domesday Book. The name is a combination of the Old English words "hyrst" and "burna," meaning a stream or brook.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname "Hurts" can be found in various historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is John de Hurst, who was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Berkshire in 1273.
In the 15th century, a Richard Hurst was listed in the Paston Letters, a collection of correspondence from the influential Paston family of Norfolk, England. These letters provide valuable insights into the lives and social dynamics of the English gentry during the latter half of the 15th century.
Among the notable individuals bearing the surname "Hurts" throughout history are:
1. Sir John Hurst (c. 1550-1629), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1629.
2. Henry Hurst (1629-1690), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "The Spheres of the Blessed" (1671).
3. William Hurst (1708-1776), a British naval officer and explorer who served as the second Governor of West Florida from 1766 to 1770.
4. Charles Hurst (1795-1873), an English cricketer who played for the Marylebone Cricket Club and is considered one of the earliest known professional cricketers.
5. Arthur Hurst (1879-1944), a British physician and gastroenterologist who made significant contributions to the understanding of digestive disorders and authored several influential medical texts.
The surname "Hurts" has continued to be a relatively uncommon name throughout history, but it holds a rich heritage rooted in the linguistic and geographical landscapes of England's past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hurts
Among Census respondents with the surname Hurts, the largest self-reported group is Black at 78.0%. The next largest groups are White (16.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hurts 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 Hurts surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American78.0% · 248
- White16.7% · 53
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 9
- Two or more races2.5% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hurts
Hurts 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
#71,678
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 272
-4 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 4,800 places
2020
#67,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 318
+46 bearers (+16.9%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 4,674 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #66,878 | 276 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #71,678 | 272 | 0.09 | -4 bearers (-1.4%) | Down 4,800 places |
| 2020 | #67,004 | 318 | 0.11 | +46 bearers (+16.9%) | Up 4,674 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 Hurts 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 | #71,678 | #67,004 | 6.5% |
| Count | 272 | 318 | 16.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.11 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hurts bearers went from 272 to 318 (+16.9% change). The surname moved up 4,674 positions in the national ranking, going from #71,678 to #67,004.
FAQ
Hurts surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hurts?
Name Census estimates that about 365 living Americans carry the surname Hurts. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 939,053 residents.
How common is Hurts?
Hurts ranks #67,004 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 318 people with the surname Hurts. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (365), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hurts.
Has Hurts become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hurts went from 272 recorded bearers to 318. That is an increase of 46 (+16.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #71,678 to #67,004.
What does the Census say about the background of Hurts?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hurts, the largest self-reported group is Black at 78.0%. The next largest groups are White (16.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hurts in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.0% (248 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hurts appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (78.0%), White (16.7%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Hurts (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 Hurts mean?
An English and Scottish surname derived from a nickname for someone who was pugnacious or aggressive. 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 Hurts (0.11 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 Hurts?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.