Heyward
From Old English, meaning keeper or guardian of a fence or hedge.
Name Census estimates that about 912 living Americans carry the first name Heyward. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Heyward today is around 64 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Heyward births was 1928 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Heyward. 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
912
~ 1 in 375,827 Americans
Peak year
1928
43 babies that year
Average age
64
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,921
Tracked since 1896
Popularity
Heyward: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Heyward from the 1890s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 343 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Heyward 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 Heyward during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Heywards live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. South Carolina, Georgia, New York recorded the most babies named Heyward, while New York, Georgia, South Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 448 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Heyward
The given name Heyward has its origins in the Old English language, derived from the words "heg" meaning "hedge" and "weard" meaning "guard" or "watchman." It was a common name among the Anglo-Saxons, indicating someone who guarded or watched over a hedged area or boundary.
In the early medieval period, the name Heyward was primarily found in England and parts of what is now Germany and the Netherlands, where Anglo-Saxon settlers had established communities. It appeared in various historical records and documents from the 8th to 11th centuries, often referring to individuals involved in land management or military roles.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Heyward can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of the great survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name is listed as "Heiward" among landowners and tenants in several counties, indicating its prevalence during the Norman period.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Heyward continued to be used, particularly in England and parts of Europe influenced by Anglo-Saxon culture. Notable individuals bearing this name include Heyward the Red (c. 1070-1150), a wealthy landowner and benefactor of religious institutions in Gloucestershire, and Heyward de Burgh (c. 1290-1348), a military commander who served Edward III during the Hundred Years' War.
During the Renaissance and Early Modern periods, the name Heyward remained in use, although its popularity waned somewhat. One notable figure was Sir Heyward Stafford (c. 1455-1483), a member of the English gentry who supported the Yorkist cause during the Wars of the Roses. In literature, the name appeared in works such as "The Tragedy of Heywood" by Thomas Heywood, published in 1637.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Heyward experienced a revival, particularly in the United States. Notable individuals include Heyward Shepherd (c. 1775-1859), an African American laborer who was the first casualty of the American Civil War, and Thomas Heyward Jr. (1746-1809), a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence from South Carolina.
Other notable individuals named Heyward throughout history include Heyward Isham (1844-1914), an American banker and philanthropist, Heyward Broun (1888-1939), an American journalist and author, and Heyward Emmell (1923-2018), an American actor and director.
People
Heyward + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Heyward 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
Heyward: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Heyward?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 912 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Heyward 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 375,827 US residents.
Is Heyward a common name?
We classify Heyward as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,018 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Heyward most popular?
The single biggest year for Heyward was 1928, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Heyward is about 64 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Heyward a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Heyward 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.
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.