Explore the Family Name Hull
The meaning of Hull
1. English: from the Middle English personal name Hulle, a pet form of Hugh or of its common diminutives Hulin, Hulot (see Hewlett and Huling). 2. English: in southwest England and the west and central Midlands sometimes a topographical or habitational name for someone who lived on or by a hill (Middle English atte hulle, from Old English hyll), or from a place with this name. However, this word and the derived names will have usually assumed the standard form Hill in modern times, as in the case of Hill (Gloucestershire), which was usually spelt Hull or Hulle during the Middle Ages. Hull with this origin was also once the name of two other places, now lost, one in Great Budworth (Cheshire), and the other in Inkpen (Berkshire). See also Hell. 3. English: perhaps a habitational name from Kingston upon Hull in East Yorkshire, which takes its name from the river Hull (perhaps related to Danish hul ‘hole, hollow’, or perhaps a British name based on the root seul- ‘mud’). 4. In some cases possibly also Estonian: from hull ‘crazy’, an arbitrary surname given by a manorial official. This surname is very rare in Estonia.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Hull in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Hull" has seen a slight decrease in the past decade. In 2000, it was ranked as the 754th most common last name, but by 2010, it had fallen to the 807th place, representing a 7.03% drop. However, the overall count of individuals with the Hull surname increased from 41,656 to 43,018 during this time period, marking a growth of 3.27%. The proportion of people named Hull per 100,000 also saw a decrease from 15.44 to 14.58, a decline of 5.57%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #754 | #807 | -7.03% |
| Count | 41,656 | 43,018 | 3.27% |
| Proportion per 100k | 15.44 | 14.58 | -5.57% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Hull
Regarding ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census provides insight into how the Hull surname is distributed across various ethnic identities. Between 2000 and 2010, there was a noticeable increase in the percentage of people of Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic heritage with the Hull surname, at 37.78% and 48.57%, respectively. Individuals of two or more races also increased, moving up from 1.44% to 1.88%. Interestingly, the Hull surname among white individuals decreased slightly by 2.06%, while the representation among Black individuals increased marginally by 4.74%. There was a minor decrease of 6.33% among American Indian and Alaskan Natives bearing the Hull surname.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 87.34% | 85.54% | -2.06% |
| Black | 8.23% | 8.62% | 4.74% |
| Hispanic | 1.75% | 2.6% | 48.57% |
| Two or More Races | 1.44% | 1.88% | 30.56% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.79% | 0.74% | -6.33% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.45% | 0.62% | 37.78% |
Hull ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Hull is British & Irish, which comprises 51.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (27.7%) and Eastern European (4.6%). Additional ancestries include Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, Nigerian, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 51.2% |
| French & German | 27.7% |
| Eastern European | 4.6% |
| Other | 16.6% |
Possible origins of the surname Hull
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Hull have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 87.80% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 87.80% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 87.50% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 87.40% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 87.20% |
What Hull haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Hull is I-BY266, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-BY266 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and I-M253, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Best, Simmons, Harrison, West, Erickson, Davis, Turner, Simpson, Nelson, Peterson.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Hull surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Alexander Hamilton
Early in the morning on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr (then Vice President of the United States) and Alexander Hamilton (founder of the U.S. Treasury) dueled on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. This marked the culmination of a bitter personal and political rivalry between the two men. Alexander Hamilton died as a result of the duel, but his intellectual legacy survives in the founding documents of the nation he helped build. A piece of his genetic legacy survives as well: in the 21st century, genealogists documented the paternal haplogroups of dozens of Hamilton's living descendants and concluded that the Founding Father's paternal haplogroup was a branch of I-DF29.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Hull have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Hull" Surname 41.8%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Hull" Surname 27.2%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Hull" Surname 21.8%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Hull" Surname 20.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Hull?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Hull are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition