Hayword
A masculine name derived from English words signifying an enclosed meadow.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Hayword. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hayword today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hayword births was 1931 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hayword. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Hayword. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1931
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1931 SSA rank
#4,010
Tracked since 1931
Popularity
Hayword: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Hayword by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Hayword during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Hayword
The name Hayword has its origins in the Old English language, dating back to the 5th century AD. It is derived from two words: "hæg" meaning "hay" and "weard" meaning "keeper" or "guardian." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who was responsible for overseeing the storage and distribution of hay, an important resource in agricultural communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hayword can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Heiward," and several individuals with this name are listed as landowners or tenants in various parts of the country.
In medieval times, the name Hayword was relatively common among members of the English gentry and nobility. Notable figures bearing this name include Hayword de Stafford (c. 1270-1349), a prominent knight and landowner in Staffordshire, and Hayword FitzAlan (c. 1285-1324), a member of the powerful FitzAlan family and a supporter of King Edward II.
During the Renaissance period, the name Hayword gained popularity among scholars and writers. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Hayword Campion (1578-1619), an English Jesuit priest, poet, and scholar who was executed for his Catholic faith during the reign of King James I.
In the 17th century, the name Hayword was associated with several notable figures in the English Civil War. Hayword Whalley (1615-1675) was a prominent Parliamentarian officer who served under Oliver Cromwell, while Hayword Massey (1628-1674) was a Royalist commander who fought for King Charles I.
As the name spread across Europe and beyond, it took on various spellings and adaptations. In Germany, for example, the name became "Heyward," while in the United States, it was often spelled as "Haywood." One of the most famous Americans with this name was Hayword Shepherd (1905-1976), a renowned painter and printmaker known for his depictions of rural life in the American South.
People
Hayword + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hayword as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hayword: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hayword?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hayword going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about - US residents.
Is Hayword a common name?
We classify Hayword as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hayword most popular?
The single biggest year for Hayword was 1931, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hayword is about 0 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Hayword in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hayword a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hayword in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Hayword still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hayword in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Hayword can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Hayword?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.