Haight last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Haight is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Haight.

Meaning of Haight

Derived from a Middle English topographic name for someone who lived by a gate or gap in a hedge.

Haight, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Haight surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Haight in America

Haight is the 5062nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Haight surname appeared 6,929 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Haight.

We can also compare 2010 data for Haight to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 5062 4786 5.61%
Count 6,929 6,739 2.78%
Proportion per 100k 2.35 2.50 -6.19%

The history of the last name Haight

The surname Haight has its origins in England, tracing back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "hæcc," meaning a gate or a hatch, which over time evolved into the place name "Hatch" or "Hait." This place name referred to a dwelling or settlement near a gate or hatch.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Haight can be found in various historical records, such as the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Hait" or "de Haith." This suggests that the name was initially associated with individuals who lived near a gate or hatch, perhaps indicating their occupation or location.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, including "de la Hait," "atte Hait," and "Hait." These variations reflect the transition from the use of Norman French to English in official records during this period.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Haight was Sir William de la Hait, who lived in the late 13th century and was a prominent landowner in Essex, England.

Another notable figure was John Haight, who was born in 1578 in Hertfordshire, England, and later immigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early 17th century, becoming one of the first settlers with the Haight surname in the American colonies.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the spelling of the name continued to evolve, with variants such as "Hayte," "Hait," and "Haight" appearing in records across various regions of England.

In the 18th century, the name Haight gained prominence with individuals like Nicholas Haight, born in 1707 in New York, who served as a colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Another notable figure was Samuel Haight, born in 1736 in New York, who was a prominent Quaker minister and advocate for the abolition of slavery.

Throughout history, the surname Haight has been associated with various professions, including landowners, merchants, military leaders, and religious figures, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Haight

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Haight.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Haight was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 92.64% 6,419
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.57% 109
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.98% 68
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.38% 26
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.83% 127
Hispanic Origin 2.60% 180

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Haight has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 92.64% 94.67% -2.17%
Black 1.57% 1.50% 4.56%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.98% 0.50% 64.86%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.38% 0.34% 11.11%
Two or More Races 1.83% 1.47% 21.82%
Hispanic 2.60% 1.51% 53.04%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Haight was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Haight, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Haight last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/haight-surname-popularity/.

"Haight last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/haight-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Haight last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/haight-surname-popularity/.

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