2000
#4,786
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,739
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.50
Rare Last name
Haight
Derived from a Middle English topographic name for someone who lived by a gate or gap in a hedge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,682 Americans carry the last name Haight. That puts it at #5,072 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,618 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Haight 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 Haight with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.7K
1 in 44,618
Census rank
#5,072
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,699 bearers of the surname Haight in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5072nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Haight, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haight
Among Census respondents with the surname Haight, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Haight 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 Haight surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 6,028
- Two or more races3.9% · 261
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 227
- Black or African American1.4% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Haight
Haight 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
#5,062
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,929
+190 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 2.35
Rank movement Down 276 places
2020
#5,072
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,699
-230 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 2.24
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,786 | 6,739 | 2.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,062 | 6,929 | 2.35 | +190 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 276 places |
| 2020 | #5,072 | 6,699 | 2.24 | -230 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 10 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 Haight 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 | #5,062 | #5,072 | -0.2% |
| Count | 6,929 | 6,699 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.35 | 2.24 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Haight bearers went from 6,929 to 6,699 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,062 to #5,072.
FAQ
Haight surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Haight?
Name Census estimates that about 7,682 living Americans carry the surname Haight. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,618 residents.
How common is Haight?
Haight ranks #5,072 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,699 people with the surname Haight. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,682), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Haight.
Has Haight become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Haight went from 6,929 recorded bearers to 6,699. That is a decrease of 230 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,062 to #5,072.
What does the Census say about the background of Haight?
Among Census respondents with the surname Haight, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Haight in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (6,028 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Haight appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Haight (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 Haight mean?
Derived from a Middle English topographic name for someone who lived by a gate or gap in a hedge. 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 Haight (2.24 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 are called Haight?
Find out how many people are called Haight on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.