38,399 Global Hills Family Members

Hills Family History

Family spelling variants include Hill, Hiles, Hillis.

There are approximately 38,399 Hills family members around the world. In general you can double this figure to include those related to the Hills names to allow for those connected to the name through maiden name connections.

It is estimated that the largest group of Hills family members live USA with 13,829 (36%) members, England with 11,911 (31%), South Africa with 4,274 (11.1%), Australia with 3,899 (10.2%), Canada with 2,098 (5.5%), New Zealand with 1,250 (3.3%), Scotland with 551 (1.4%), Wales with 395 (1%) and Ireland with 192 (0.5%) members.  

An English variant of Hill. 

A widely distributed English and Scottish topographic name for someone who lived on or by a hill, from Middle English hill (Old English hyll). 

Topographical surnames were among the earliest created, since both natural and man-made features in the landscape provided easily recognisable distinguishing names in the small communities of the Middle Ages; in this case especially, because every small district had its rising ground called "the hill", and the surname is therefore extremely popular in every area of the country.

The medieval personal name Hill, a short form of Hilary (see Hillary) or of a Germanic (male or female) compound name with the first element hild ‘strife’, ‘battle’. 

In Germam, it is derived from a short form of Hildebrand or any of a variety of other names, male and female, containing Germanic hild as the first element.

In Jewish (American), the surname is an Anglicised form of various Jewish names of similar sound or meaning. 

It is also an English translation of Finnish Mäki (‘hill’), or of any of various other names formed with this element, such as Mäkinen, Heinämaki, Kivimäki.

Early bearers of the surname include: Thomas Hilles, 1426, John Hillys, 1461 in Feet of Fines (Rochester, Kent); John Hyles, 1501 in PROB 11 (Aspenden, Herts); Cristofer Hiles, 1553, Robert Hills, 1600 in IGI (Fletching, Sussex); Lawrence Hills, Anne Hiles, 1587 in IGI (Westbere, Kent); Margeret Hillis, 1566, Theophilius Hills, 1593 in IGI (Cranbrook, Kent); Agnes Hills, 1562 in IGI (Soham, Cambs); John Hills, 1571, Arthure Hiles, 1606 in IGI (Braughing, Herts); Anthonye Hills, 1582, George Hiles, 1723 in IGI (Wood Ditton, Cambs); Elsabeth Hills, 1609 in IGI (Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumb); Henrie Hiles, 1613 in IGI (Kirkby Malham, Yorks); Thomas Hills, 1627 in IGI (Gateshead, Durham); John Hills, 1684, John Hiles, 1766 in IGI (Shrewsbury, Shrops).

Joseph Hills, an English convict from Cambridgeshire, was transported aboard the "William Metcalf" ship on 23 May 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia. 

In 1891 census, the surname was recorded in England and Wales with 8,699 occurrences and a fewer 51 in Scotland. 

In 1881 census, the surname was frequent in Cambridgeshire with 407 occurrences. 

In 1881, Agricultural Labourer, Labourer and Farmer were the top 3 reported jobs worked by Hills in UK. The most common being Agricultural Labourer and a less common occupation was Carpenter.

The noted, Sir Graham Hills FRSE (1926 – 2014) was a physical chemist and principal of the University of Strathclyde. He was also a governor of the BBC.

1881, 1891 Census

1881 Census in Cambridgeshire

Dictionary of American Family Homes, P Hanks OUP 2003

Homes of Family Names in Great Britain, H.B. Guppy, London 1890

The Oxford Dictionary of Family Names in Britain and Ireland, P.Hanks, Coats, McClure OUP 2016

1860 Lower, Mark A Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom, London: J.R Smith. Public Domain

1857 Arthur, William An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. New York: Sheldon, Blakeman. Public Domain

https://convictrecords.com.au/convicts/hills/joseph/42100

J.M.P