2000
#1,102
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,065
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.77
Uncommon Last name
Haines
Derived from a place name meaning "remote hedged enclosure" in Old English or "one who dwells by the enclosure."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 31,770 Americans carry the last name Haines. That puts it at #1,251 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,789 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Haines 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 Haines with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
32K
1 in 10,789
Census rank
#1,251
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 27,705 bearers of the surname Haines in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1251st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Haines, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Haines
The surname Haines has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle English word "heyn," meaning "heathen" or "pagan." This suggests that the name may have been applied as a nickname to someone who exhibited non-Christian behavior or beliefs.
The earliest known record of the Haines surname appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, where it is written as "Heyne." This document was a census of landowners and tenants in England, providing valuable insights into the distribution and prevalence of surnames during that era.
In the 14th century, the name is found in various forms, such as "Hayne," "Heyne," and "Haine," reflecting the fluid nature of spelling conventions at the time. The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Haines surname, indicating its later emergence.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Haines was John Haines, a merchant from Bristol, England, who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Haines (c. 1533-1615), an English diplomat and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the surname appears to have been associated with several place names in England, such as Hayne in Devon and Haine in Staffordshire. These place names may have contributed to the evolution and spread of the Haines surname in different regions.
A famous bearer of the Haines surname was Joseph Haines (1688-1701), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of comets and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1718.
Another notable individual was Samuel Haines (1768-1842), an American Quaker minister and abolitionist who actively opposed slavery and advocated for Native American rights. He was born in Westbury, New York, and his legacy continues to be celebrated in the region.
The Haines surname has also been associated with historical figures like William Haines (c. 1592-1677), an English politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1647, and Sir Edward Haines (1802-1878), a British military officer and colonial administrator who served as Governor of Hong Kong from 1856 to 1858.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haines
Among Census respondents with the surname Haines, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Haines 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 Haines surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 24,114
- Black or African American4.8% · 1,340
- Two or more races3.7% · 1,022
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 871
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 192
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 166
Timeline
Historical Census data for Haines
Haines 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
#1,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,462
+397 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 9.99
Rank movement Down 99 places
2020
#1,251
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,705
-1,757 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 9.27
Rank movement Down 50 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,102 | 29,065 | 10.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,201 | 29,462 | 9.99 | +397 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 99 places |
| 2020 | #1,251 | 27,705 | 9.27 | -1,757 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 50 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 Haines 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 | #1,201 | #1,251 | -4.2% |
| Count | 29,462 | 27,705 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 9.99 | 9.27 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Haines bearers went from 29,462 to 27,705 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 50 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,201 to #1,251.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Haines
FAQ
Haines surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Haines?
Name Census estimates that about 31,770 living Americans carry the surname Haines. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,789 residents.
How common is Haines?
Haines ranks #1,251 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 27,705 people with the surname Haines. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (31,770), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Haines.
Has Haines become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Haines went from 29,462 recorded bearers to 27,705. That is a decrease of 1,757 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,201 to #1,251.
What does the Census say about the background of Haines?
Among Census respondents with the surname Haines, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Haines in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (24,114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Haines appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Black (4.8%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Haines (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 Haines mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "remote hedged enclosure" in Old English or "one who dwells by the enclosure." 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 Haines (9.27 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 Haines?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.