Hills
Usually just a variant spelling of Hill, originally a name for someone who lived on or by a hill.
The #2,608 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 22,326 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Hills is generally understood as a plural or variant form of Hill, from Old English "hyll," meaning "hill." In surname use, it would have been applied to someone who lived near a hill or on hilly ground. The final -s is often a medieval spelling or surname-forming variant rather than a true plural meaning.
History
The surname appears in records as a variant of Hill, and standard surname dictionaries treat it that way. Like many topographic surnames, it developed independently in more than one place, so unrelated families could come to share the same spelling. The form also survives as a common surname in English-speaking countries, especially in Britain and the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Standard surname references often cross-reference Hills directly to Hill, showing how often medieval scribes added or dropped a final -s.
From the historical record
“Hull, &c. HILLS. See Hill. HILLYER. See Hellier. HIN ]58 HIT”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom