How common is the surname Hobson?

17,043 people in the United States had the surname Hobson in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 18,116 Americans. It ranked 2,128th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Hobson?

Valerie Hobson, British actress (1917–1998), followed by Mellody Hobson.

Where is the surname Hobson most common?

Wikidata records people named Hobson in the United States and the United Kingdom.

How do you pronounce Hobson?

Hobson is /ˈhɑb.sən/, 2 syllables.

Is the surname Hobson getting more or less common?

More common. 16,517 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 17,043 in 2010, up 3.2%.

The surname Hobson

A patronymic surname, carried by 17,043 people in the United States.

Pronounced /ˈhɑb.sən/ 2 syllables Soundex H125

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Hobson is more common than 98.7% of them.

Origin

From a medieval diminutive form of the given name Robert + -son.

Hobson is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 17,043 people named Hobson in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 18,116 Americans. That is up 3.2% since 2000, when the Census counted 16,517.

#2,128

rank among US surnames

17,043

people in 2010

5.8

per 100,000 Americans

+3.2%

change since 2000 (was #2,011)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#2,119	Dinh	17,081	18,075
#2,120	Hirsch	17,072	18,085
#2,121	Keating	17,060	18,098
#2,122	Chow	17,059	18,099
#2,123	Dutton	17,057	18,101
#2,125	Flood	17,053	18,105
#2,127	Read	17,048	18,110

Who is named Hobson

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

69% of people named Hobson identified as white (not Hispanic), 26% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.3% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 69%
Black (not Hispanic) 26%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.3%
Two or more races 2.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native 1.0%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Hobsons

6 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Valerie Hobson
British actress (1917–1998)
Mellody Hobson
American businesswoman, born 1969
Luke Hobson
American swimmer, born 2003
Allan Hobson
American psychiatrist (1933-2021)
Darington Hobson
American basketball player (born 1987)
Dave Hobson
American politician (born 1936)

Notable Hobsons come mostly from the United States (5) and the United Kingdom (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Hobson

Hopson

Hobson has the Soundex code H125, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code H125.

Questions

Where does the surname Hobson come from?: From a medieval diminutive form of the given name Robert + -son.
How common is the surname Hobson?: 17,043 people in the United States had the surname Hobson in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 18,116 Americans. It ranked 2,128th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Hobson?: In the 2010 Census, 69% of people named Hobson identified as white (not Hispanic), and 26% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Hobson?: Valerie Hobson, British actress (1917–1998), followed by Mellody Hobson.
Where is the surname Hobson most common?: Wikidata records people named Hobson in the United States and the United Kingdom.
How do you pronounce Hobson?: Hobson is /ˈhɑb.sən/, 2 syllables.
What type of surname is Hobson?: Hobson is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Hobson getting more or less common?: More common. 16,517 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 17,043 in 2010, up 3.2%.