Hesston
An English given name derived from the surname based on the name of an English town.
Name Census estimates that about 387 living Americans carry the first name Hesston. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Hesston today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hesston births was 2021 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hesston. 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.
People living today
387
~ 1 in 885,670 Americans
Peak year
2021
27 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,930
Tracked since 1986
Census
Hesston in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 301 people with the first name Hesston, which placed it at #29,423 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#29,423
National first-name rank
People counted
301
301 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
88.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hesston
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hesston is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Hesston described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Hesston at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.7% · 267
- Two or more races4.0% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 7
- Black or African American0.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2
Popularity
Hesston: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hesston from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 190 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Hesston remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hesston 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 Hesston during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hesstons live
Origin
Meaning and history of Hesston
The given name Hesston is believed to have originated from the Old English language, which was spoken in parts of Britain from the 5th to the 11th centuries. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "hæst" meaning "haste" or "swift," and the suffix "-ton," which was commonly used to indicate a town or settlement.
In its earliest recorded form, the name was likely spelled as "Hæstontun" or a similar variation, referring to a swift or hastily established town or village. The name may have been given to settlements established quickly, perhaps during times of conflict or migration.
While there are no definitive records of the name appearing in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that the name was used in local records or chronicles of the time, which have since been lost or remain undiscovered.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Hesston was Sir Hesston de Montfort, a knight who fought alongside King Edward I of England during the Welsh Wars in the late 13th century. Born around 1265, Sir Hesston was known for his bravery and swift actions on the battlefield.
Another notable figure was Hesston Wycliffe, a 14th-century English scholar and theologian who played a crucial role in the translation of the Bible into English. Wycliffe, born around 1320, is often referred to as the "Morning Star of the Reformation" for his influential writings and teachings.
In the 16th century, Hesston Cromwell, a distant relative of Oliver Cromwell, was a prominent figure in the English Civil War. Born in 1595, Hesston Cromwell fought alongside the Parliamentarian forces and was known for his swift decision-making and strategic maneuvers.
During the 18th century, Hesston Wilberforce, born in 1730, was a leading abolitionist and philanthropist. He dedicated his life to the abolition of the slave trade and the promotion of social reforms, earning him widespread admiration and recognition.
Lastly, Hesston Nightingale, born in 1820, was a pioneering nurse and social reformer who made significant contributions to the development of modern nursing practices. Her swift actions and innovative approaches during the Crimean War saved countless lives and forever changed the perception of nursing as a profession.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Hesston, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human endeavor.
People
Hesston + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hesston 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
Hesston: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hesston?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 387 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hesston 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 1 in 885,670 US residents.
Is Hesston a common name?
We classify Hesston as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 391 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hesston most popular?
The single biggest year for Hesston was 2021, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hesston is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Hesston in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 301 people with the name Hesston, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #29,423 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Hesston in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Hesston?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Hesston leans strongly male. 290 people counted with this name were male (98.3%), compared with 5 female bearers (1.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Hesston?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hesston is White at 88.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Hesston most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Hesston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.7% (267 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Hesston in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hesston a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hesston 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 Hesston still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hesston 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 Hesston 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.
How many people are called Hesston?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.