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

Hair, 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 Hair surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hair in America

Hair is the 4539th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hair surname appeared 7,814 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Hair.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hair 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 Hair

The surname HAIR is an English surname that originated in the Middle Ages, derived from the Old English word "haer," meaning "hair" or "head of hair." It was likely originally a descriptive nickname given to someone with distinctive hair or a hairstyle.

The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with early records showing variations such as Haire, Hayre, and Heyre. One of the earliest recorded references to the name is found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, which mentions a person named William le Heyr.

During the medieval period, the HAIR surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Somerset in England. Some early bearers of the name were likely associated with the wool trade, as distinguishing physical features were often used as identifiers for tradespeople.

In the 16th century, the HAIR surname appeared in various historical records, including the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1554, which mentioned a John Hayre. The Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1593 also listed a William Hayre.

Notable individuals with the HAIR surname throughout history include:

1. Sir John Hair (1639-1718), a Scottish merchant and landowner who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1700 to 1703.
2. James Hair (1776-1838), a Scottish minister and author who wrote several works on theology and church history.
3. Robert Hair (1811-1876), a Scottish-born Australian politician who served as a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council.
4. Thomas Hair (1789-1852), an English landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes and coastal views.
5. Margaret Hair (1846-1927), a Scottish suffragist and campaigner for women's rights, who was actively involved in the movement for women's suffrage in Scotland.

While the HAIR surname has connections to various places across England and Scotland, it is believed to have originated as a descriptive nickname rather than being derived from a specific place name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hair

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

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

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

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