2000
#3,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,300
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.08
Rare Last name
Haggard
Wild or untamed; having a worn or emaciated appearance, as if from exhaustion, anxiety, or suffering.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,959 Americans carry the last name Haggard. That puts it at #4,397 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,258 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Haggard 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Haggard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.0K
1 in 38,258
Census rank
#4,397
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,813 bearers of the surname Haggard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4397th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Haggard, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Haggard
The surname Haggard originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word 'hag', meaning a hedge, and may have been an occupational name for someone who lived near a hedge or worked as a hedge-keeper.
Early variations of the spelling included Hagard, Haggerd, and Haggart. The name appeared in the Hundredorum Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1273, where one Robert Haggard was listed as a resident.
In the 14th century, the name was found in various records, such as the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, where a Johannes Haggard was mentioned. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327 also contained the name William Haggard.
The surname Haggard is believed to have originated in the county of Lincolnshire, where it was particularly prominent in the medieval period. However, it later spread to other parts of England, including Yorkshire, Sussex, and Norfolk.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Haggard was Sir John Haggard, who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1564. Another prominent figure was Sir Rider Haggard (1856-1925), a renowned English writer best known for his adventure novels set in Africa, such as "King Solomon's Mines" and "She".
Other historical figures with the Haggard surname include Sir Henry Haggard (1511-1554), a lawyer and politician who served as Speaker of the House of Commons during the reign of Queen Mary I, and Richard Haggard (1786-1857), an English cricketer who played for the Marylebone Cricket Club.
In the 17th century, the Haggard family established themselves as landowners and gentry in Norfolk, with Thomas Haggard being granted a coat of arms in 1632. The family's ancestral home, Bradenham Hall, remained in their possession until the late 19th century.
While the surname Haggard is not among the most common in England, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been associated with notable individuals in various fields, from politics and law to literature and sports.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haggard
Among Census respondents with the surname Haggard, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Haggard 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 Haggard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 6,564
- Black or African American5.8% · 453
- Two or more races4.6% · 358
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 303
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 56
Timeline
Historical Census data for Haggard
Haggard 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
#4,230
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,384
+84 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 2.84
Rank movement Down 299 places
2020
#4,397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,813
-571 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 2.61
Rank movement Down 167 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,931 | 8,300 | 3.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,230 | 8,384 | 2.84 | +84 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 299 places |
| 2020 | #4,397 | 7,813 | 2.61 | -571 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 167 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 Haggard 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 | #4,230 | #4,397 | -3.9% |
| Count | 8,384 | 7,813 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.84 | 2.61 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Haggard bearers went from 8,384 to 7,813 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 167 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,230 to #4,397.
FAQ
Haggard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Haggard?
Name Census estimates that about 8,959 living Americans carry the surname Haggard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,258 residents.
How common is Haggard?
Haggard ranks #4,397 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,813 people with the surname Haggard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,959), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Haggard.
Has Haggard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Haggard went from 8,384 recorded bearers to 7,813. That is a decrease of 571 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,230 to #4,397.
What does the Census say about the background of Haggard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Haggard, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Haggard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (6,564 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Haggard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Black (5.8%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Haggard (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 Haggard mean?
Wild or untamed; having a worn or emaciated appearance, as if from exhaustion, anxiety, or suffering. 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 Haggard (2.61 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 have the surname Haggard?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.