The Hood surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 55,174 people carried this name — #616 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 5,350 people counted. That is up 3% from 53,737 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Hood surname

As an English and Scottish surname, from the noun hood.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Hood» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Richard’.

An early record he cites: John Hod, Somerset, 1327–28 (1 Edward III) — Kirby's Quest (Somerset).

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 395 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 9 births for the Hood name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 400 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim.”

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

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 5
Connacht 2
Leinster 2

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

In Argentina’s national register

At least 48 people named Hood live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

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

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 48

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 20 people named Hood.

Most of them — 13 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 4 départements, most often French Guiana.

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

Where they were born

Born outside France 13
French Guiana 3
Somme 2
Bouches-du-Rhône 1
Paris 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

22 people named Hood is counted in Sweden.

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

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 22

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

Hood was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Dorset: 15 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 667. 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

Dorset 15
Norfolk 9

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 Scotland, 1880s

Hood was 12 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.

That is about 1 in 833. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “South of the Forth and the Clyde.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 590 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.

In Scotland’s registers today

Hood was recorded 67 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 400th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 119. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

113 families named Hood, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 665 people lived in those households, 5.9 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. 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

South Carolina 23
Virginia 22
Pennsylvania 18
Massachusetts 15
Maryland 12
North Carolina 10
Connecticut 5
Maine 3
New Hampshire 2
New York 2
Vermont 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. 246 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Hood in American newspapers,
1908–1918.

Newspaper page from The Natchitoches Enterprise carrying the name Hood
The Natchitoches Enterprise 1917-04-12
Newspaper page from St. Tammany Farmer carrying the name Hood
St. Tammany Farmer 1908-08-08
Newspaper page from The Natchitoches Enterprise carrying the name Hood
The Natchitoches Enterprise 1918-01-24

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 7,862 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Hood in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2010s.

152,720 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Hood. The most, 28,330, date from the 1890s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 2.1 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 72,093
Queensland 26,661
New South Wales 24,518
South Australia 14,668
Tasmania 7,220
Western Australia 7,073
ACT (Canberra) 343
Northern Territory 74

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

Who carried it

People named Hood,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas Hood d. 1401 · politician
  • Marjorie Hood d. 2006 · baseball player
  • Wharton P. Hood d. 1916 · physician
  • Peter Hood d. 1890 · physician
  • Hilliary Hood d. 1960
  • Eliza Hood d. 1912

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

In the public record

People named Hood,
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 States4,300 records

4,300 records of the Hood name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,911
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 800
  • Other U.S. records 1,589
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Ernest Ervin Hood

    Born 1933; from Compton, California. U.S. Army, food service specialist; killed in action 1968 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Maud Hood

    Born 1899 in Texas. Enlisted 1944 in the Women's Army Corps at Little Rock, Arkansas; clerk. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Roselawn Memorial Park, Seagoville, Texas.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1835 aboard the Tally Ho from Liverpool, aged 19; laborer. From Loryford, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 4,300 records for Hood in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · 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) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia2,264 records

2,264 records of the Hood name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 1,178
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 388
  • Other Australian records 698
  1. 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 William Hood

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Norfolk, sailing from Sheerness in 1835. Native of Plymouth, Devon. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1847.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Eleanor Hood

    Died 1888 in Evandale, Tasmania, aged 83. Will registered in Tasmania in 1888.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Hood

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Tippoo Saib, aged 31; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 2,264 records for Hood 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) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada536 records

536 records of the Hood name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 372
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 42
  • Other Canadian records 122
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Sam'l Hood

    Came to Ontario in 1869 aboard the Simoons, landing at Quebec, bound for Weston, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Thomas James Hood

    Buried in 1994 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 62.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Thomas Hood

    Died 1957 in Annapolis Royal, Annapolis, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 536 records for Hood 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. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · 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: 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom121 records

121 records of the Hood name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 46
  • Stirling Council burial records 42
  • Other British records 33
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record William Hood

    Born 1899 at Elgin; carter. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Hood

    Died 1956, aged 69; buried at Logie Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

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

    Will proved in 1929; of Llanelly.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 121 records for Hood 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: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand46 records

46 records of the Hood name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 38
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 4
  • Other New Zealand records 4
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record David Todd Hood

    Died 1898, aged 65; buried at Addington Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Athelstan Hood

    Died 1971, aged 54; buried at Omaka Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Harriett Jenkins Hood

    Died 1930, aged 54; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 46 records for Hood in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Waimakariri 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).

Netherlands18 records

18 records of the Hood name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 9
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 7
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Edwin Henry Hood

    Married in 1897 in Amsterdam; merchant.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Gertrude Hood

    Married in 1905 in Barendrecht.

    Open Archives, Nationaal Archief Rijksarchief Zuid-Holland (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Maartje Catharina Hood

    Died 1918 in Rotterdam, aged 25.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 18 records for Hood 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); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France7 records

7 records of the Hood 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 James Hood

    Born 1909 in the United Kingdom; died 1992 in Mottereau (Eure-et-Loir).

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

    Born 1923 in Great Britain; died 1997 in Les Sables-d'Olonne (Vendée).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 7 records for Hood 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).

Ireland1 record

1 record of the Hood name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Janet Hood

    Died 1864; buried at Clontuskert - St Matthews (CoI), Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Galway County 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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Hood.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Hood 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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