2000
#6,635
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,701
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.74
Rare Last name
Haile
An English surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or a nickname for a healthy person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,427 Americans carry the last name Haile. That puts it at #4,681 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,673 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Haile 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 Haile with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.4K
1 in 40,673
Census rank
#4,681
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,349 bearers of the surname Haile in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4681st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Haile, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.6%. The next largest groups are White (29.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Haile
The surname HAILE is believed to have originated in Ethiopia, where it is a common name among the Amhara people. The name is derived from the Amharic word "Haile," which means "power" or "might." It is thought to have first emerged as a surname during the medieval period of Ethiopia's history, potentially as early as the 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HAILE can be found in the ancient Ge'ez manuscripts, which were written in the ancient Semitic language that predated Amharic. These manuscripts often referred to individuals with the title "Haile," indicating their status and authority within the Ethiopian Empire.
The name HAILE gained particular significance during the reign of Emperor Haile Selassie I, who ruled Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. Haile Selassie, whose full name was Tafari Makonnen Woldemikael Gudzadhi, was born in 1892 and is revered by Rastafarians as the returned messiah. His adoption of the name "Haile" upon his coronation as Emperor further solidified the name's association with power and leadership in Ethiopian culture.
Another notable figure in Ethiopian history with the surname HAILE was Ras Haile Maryam Redda, a prominent military leader and nobleman who lived in the late 19th century. He played a crucial role in the Ethio-Sudanese War of 1876-1877 and was known for his military prowess.
The surname HAILE has also been carried by prominent scholars and intellectuals, such as Haile Gerima, an Ethiopian filmmaker and writer born in 1946. Gerima is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the development of African cinema and has been recognized with numerous awards for his work.
Another individual with the surname HAILE who has left a lasting impact is Haile Gebrselassie, an Ethiopian long-distance runner born in 1973. Gebrselassie is widely considered one of the greatest distance runners of all time, holding multiple world records and winning numerous Olympic and World Championship medals throughout his illustrious career.
While the surname HAILE has its roots in Ethiopia, it has also been adopted by individuals of various backgrounds and nationalities, particularly those with ties to the Ethiopian diaspora or those who have embraced the Rastafarian faith, which holds Emperor Haile Selassie I in high regard.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haile
Among Census respondents with the surname Haile, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.6%. The next largest groups are White (29.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Haile 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 Haile surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American64.6% · 4,747
- White29.5% · 2,169
- Two or more races3.3% · 246
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 121
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Haile
Haile 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
#5,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,663
+1,962 bearers (+41.7%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Up 1,399 places
2020
#4,681
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,349
+686 bearers (+10.3%)
Per 100,000 2.46
Rank movement Up 555 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,635 | 4,701 | 1.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,236 | 6,663 | 2.26 | +1,962 bearers (+41.7%) | Up 1,399 places |
| 2020 | #4,681 | 7,349 | 2.46 | +686 bearers (+10.3%) | Up 555 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 Haile 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 | #5,236 | #4,681 | 10.6% |
| Count | 6,663 | 7,349 | 10.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.26 | 2.46 | 8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Haile bearers went from 6,663 to 7,349 (+10.3% change). The surname moved up 555 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,236 to #4,681.
FAQ
Haile surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Haile?
Name Census estimates that about 8,427 living Americans carry the surname Haile. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,673 residents.
How common is Haile?
Haile ranks #4,681 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.46 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 7,349 people with the surname Haile. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,427), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.46 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 Haile.
Has Haile become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Haile went from 6,663 recorded bearers to 7,349. That is an increase of 686 (+10.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,236 to #4,681.
What does the Census say about the background of Haile?
Among Census respondents with the surname Haile, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.6%. The next largest groups are White (29.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Haile in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.6% (4,747 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Haile appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (64.6%), White (29.5%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Haile (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 Haile mean?
An English surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a place name or a nickname for a healthy person. 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 Haile (2.46 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 common is the surname Haile?
Want to know how common the surname Haile is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.