2000
#15,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,804
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.67
Rare Last name
Hadlock
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "heather-covered lock or enclosure."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,183 Americans carry the last name Hadlock. That puts it at #14,916 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,011 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hadlock surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
2.2K
1 in 157,011
Census rank
#14,916
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,904 bearers of the surname Hadlock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14916th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hadlock, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hadlock
The surname Hadlock is of English origin and is believed to have originated in the medieval period, likely between the 11th and 13th centuries. The name is thought to be derived from the Old English words "hæd" meaning "heath" or "heather" and "loc" meaning "enclosure" or "lock," suggesting it was originally a place name referring to a heathery or heather-covered enclosure or settlement.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where it appears as "Hadlok." This suggests the name was already established in the West Midlands region of England by the early 14th century. The Hundred Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1273 also mention a place called "Hadlock," which could be the origin of the surname.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various spellings such as "Hadlocke," "Hadlick," and "Hadlicke" in parish records and tax rolls across different counties in England, indicating its spread throughout the country.
One notable individual with the surname Hadlock was Sir Richard Hadlock, a wealthy landowner and merchant from Somerset who lived in the late 15th century. He was known for his philanthropic endeavors and funded the construction of a church and almshouses in his hometown.
Another prominent figure was John Hadlock, a Puritan minister born in 1618 in Gloucestershire. He emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1640s and became a respected religious leader, establishing several congregations in the New England region.
In the 18th century, a family of Hadlocks from Dorset gained recognition for their involvement in the wool trade. Samuel Hadlock (1722-1798) and his sons were successful merchants who supplied high-quality wool to various textile mills in England.
The 19th century saw the emergence of Captain William Hadlock (1807-1879), a renowned whaling captain from Nantucket, Massachusetts. He commanded several whaling ships and was known for his adventurous spirit and seamanship skills.
Additionally, Emily Hadlock (1845-1927), a writer and educator from Maine, made significant contributions to the field of children's literature and advocated for the establishment of public libraries in her home state.
While the surname Hadlock is not among the most common surnames in the English-speaking world, it has a rich history dating back to medieval times, with various spellings and notable individuals carrying the name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hadlock
Among Census respondents with the surname Hadlock, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hadlock bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Hadlock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 1,747
- Two or more races3.7% · 70
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 55
- Black or African American0.8% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hadlock
Hadlock appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,937
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,981
+177 bearers (+9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 87 places
2020
#14,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,904
-77 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,024 | 1,804 | 0.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,937 | 1,981 | 0.67 | +177 bearers (+9.8%) | Up 87 places |
| 2020 | #14,916 | 1,904 | 0.64 | -77 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 21 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Hadlock surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,937 | #14,916 | 0.1% |
| Count | 1,981 | 1,904 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.64 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hadlock bearers went from 1,981 to 1,904 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,937 to #14,916.
FAQ
Hadlock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hadlock?
Name Census estimates that about 2,183 living Americans carry the surname Hadlock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,011 residents.
How common is Hadlock?
Hadlock ranks #14,916 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,904 people with the surname Hadlock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,183), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hadlock.
Has Hadlock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hadlock went from 1,981 recorded bearers to 1,904. That is a decrease of 77 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,937 to #14,916.
What does the Census say about the background of Hadlock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hadlock, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hadlock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (1,747 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hadlock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Hadlock (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Hadlock mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "heather-covered lock or enclosure." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Hadlock (0.64 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Hadlock?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.