The Hilton surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 28,918 people carried this name — #1,223 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 10,200 people counted. That is up 3% from 28,098 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Hilton surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Hilton’.

An early record he cites: Johannes de Hilton, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 385 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 6 births for the Hilton name in 1890.

Most were registered in Munster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Munster 3
Leinster 2
Ulster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 33 people named Hilton.

Most of them — 20 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 7 départements, most often Vosges.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 20
Vosges 6
Somme 2
Marne 1
Haut-Rhin 1
Paris 1
Martinique 1
French Guiana 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

138 people named Hilton is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 138

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Hilton was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Cumberland and Westmorland: 30 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 333. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Cumberland and Westmorland 30
Lancashire 22

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

121 families named Hilton, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 623 people lived in those households, 5.1 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Hilton, Hilten. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Maine 29
New York 20
North Carolina 20
Maryland 15
New Hampshire 13
Massachusetts 12
South Carolina 5
Pennsylvania 4
Virginia 2
Connecticut 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 245 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Hilton in American newspapers,
1885–1923.

Newspaper page from The Morning Tribune carrying the name Hilton
The Morning Tribune 1908-04-29
Newspaper page from The Courier-index carrying the name Hilton
The Courier-index 1923-03-02
Newspaper page from Wood County Reporter carrying the name Hilton
Wood County Reporter 1885-04-02

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 6,684 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Hilton in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

61,409 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Hilton. The most, 10,439, date from the 1930s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 23,122
Queensland 14,279
Victoria 8,570
South Australia 7,256
Western Australia 5,913
Tasmania 1,464
ACT (Canberra) 501
Northern Territory 35

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Hilton.

Who carried it

People named Hilton,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Roy E. Hilton d. 1965 · politician
  • William Hilton d. 1600 · politician
  • Godfrey Hilton d. 1459 · politician
  • M. Hilton d. 1880
  • John Hilton d. 2009
  • Florence Mary Hilton d. 1936

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Hilton,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,849 records

2,849 records of the Hilton name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,010
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 489
  • Other U.S. records 1,350
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Ned Hilton

    Born 1904 in California. Enlisted 1942 at New York City; commercial artist. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1967, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Esther Hilton

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 30; servant. From London, England; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record David Lynn Hilton

    Born 1947; from Canton, Ohio. U.S. Army, field artillery basic; killed in action 1967 in Binh Long, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 2,849 records for Hilton in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia991 records

991 records of the Hilton name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 571
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 129
  • Other Australian records 291
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Richard Hilton

    Died 1873 in Gordon, Tasmania, aged 75. Will registered in Tasmania in 1873.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Thomas Hilton

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Waterloo, arriving 1838; ticket of leave 1846. Native of R.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record William Hilton

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Hope, aged 25; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 991 records for Hilton in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada566 records

566 records of the Hilton name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 448
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 37
  • Other Canadian records 81
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Andrew Hilton

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Lady's Adventure, bound for St. Johns, aged 22.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Henry Hilton

    Came to Ontario in 1870 aboard the Austrian, landing at Quebec, bound for Angus, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Erema Victorena Hilton

    Buried in 1994 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 92.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.

Showing 3 of 566 records for Hilton in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom92 records

92 records of the Hilton name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 70
  • Stirling Council burial records 10
  • Other British records 12
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Nicol Robertson Hilton

    Buried in 1966 at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 82.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Edith Marsley Hilton

    Will proved in 1924; of Bangor, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record C. H. N. Hilton

    London Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 92 records for Hilton in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Norway49 records

49 records of the Hilton name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Gulbrand Hilton

    Census of 1910: Kjellerholen, Skedsmo; farmer, born 1874 in Ulsaker.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Olaf Hilton

    Census of 1910: Brotnov (gaard), Ullensaker; farmer, born 1857 in Ullensaker.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Anne Hilton

    Census of 1910: Torvbakgate, Kristiania; "losjeværtinde", born 1836 in Gjerdrum.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 3 of 49 records for Hilton in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

New Zealand10 records

10 records of the Hilton name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 7
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 2
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Rita Elsie Hilton

    Died 1990, aged 87; buried at Picton Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Hilton

    Died 1890, aged 54; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Walter Shirley Hilton

    Buried in 1914 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 45.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 10 records for Hilton in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France10 records

10 records of the Hilton name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Georges Louis Hilton

    Born 1909 in Épinal; died 1993 in Épinal (Vosges).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marcelle Hilton

    Born 1910 in Mulhouse (Haut-Rhin); died 1982 in Aubergenville (Yvelines).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 10 records for Hilton in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands9 records

9 records of the Hilton name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 6
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 3
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Anthonij Hilton

    Married in 1636 in Utrecht.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Thomas Hilton

    Married in 1673 in Leeuwarden.

    Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 9 records for Hilton in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Hilton.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Hilton is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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