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

Hail, 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 Hail surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hail in America

Hail is the 364th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hail surname appeared 86,240 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 29 people would have the surname Hail.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hail 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.

The history of the last name Hail

The surname Hail is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English word "hægl" or "haegel," which means "hail" or "frozen rain." This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who lived in an area prone to hailstorms or was born during a particularly severe hailstorm.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hail can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hagel" or "Haigle." This suggests that the name was already in use during the 11th century in England.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the surname underwent various spelling variations, including Hayle, Haile, Hail, and Haill. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions during that time period.

In the 13th century, records show a John de Hayle residing in Gloucestershire, England. This could potentially be one of the earliest known bearers of the surname Hail or a variant spelling.

During the 16th century, the Hail surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England. Notable individuals from this era include William Hail, a merchant from Norwich, born around 1520, and John Hail, a landowner in Suffolk, born in the late 1500s.

In the 17th century, the Hail surname spread to other parts of England and Scotland. One prominent figure was Sir John Hail, a Scottish politician and judge who lived from 1609 to 1679.

Moving into the 18th century, the Hail surname continued to be found across Britain and began appearing in records in North America as well. Notable individuals from this time period include Samuel Hail, a British-born merchant who settled in Boston, Massachusetts, in the early 1700s, and Jonathan Hail, a farmer and soldier from Virginia, born in 1745.

As the surname spread across the English-speaking world, various place names and geographic features were named after individuals with the Hail surname. For example, Hail County in Texas, established in 1876, was named after Lieutenant John M. Hail, a soldier in the Texas Revolution.

Throughout its history, the surname Hail has been borne by several notable individuals, including Sir William Hail (1655-1736), an English politician and member of parliament; John Hail (1734-1806), an American soldier and frontier settler; and Robert Hail (1799-1873), a Scottish-born businessman and philanthropist in Canada.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hail

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

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 Hail was:

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 Hail has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Hail was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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