2000
#5,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,672
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.10
Rare Last name
Haire
Derived from Middle English "haire," referring to someone with a mass of hair or a long-haired appearance.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,128 Americans carry the last name Haire. That puts it at #6,145 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,932 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Haire 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 Haire with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.1K
1 in 55,932
Census rank
#6,145
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,344 bearers of the surname Haire in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6145th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Haire, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Haire
The surname Haire is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Old English word "haer" meaning "hair" or "haired". It is believed to have originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with distinctive or noticeable hair.
The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century in the Scottish counties of Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. Records from the 14th century mention a John Hare in the county of Dunfries, which is likely an early spelling variation.
In the early 16th century, the name is found in various historical records including the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which document Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. One such landowner was William Hare of Ayrshire.
The surname Haire is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman conquest of England. This early reference suggests the name may have Anglo-Norman roots as well.
Notable individuals with the surname Haire include:
- Sir David Haire (1544-1616), a Scottish landowner and courtier who served as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber to King James VI of Scotland and later King James I of England.
- John Haire (1770-1839), a Scottish minister and author who wrote several theological works.
- Robert Haire (1851-1920), a Scottish-born farmer and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, Canada.
- Thomas Haire (1863-1942), an Irish-born American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Phillies in the late 19th century.
- David Haire (1917-1992), a Scottish actor best known for his roles in films such as "Greyfriars Bobby" and "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie".
While the surname Haire is not among the most common, it has a long history dating back to the Middle Ages in Scotland and England, with roots in the descriptive nickname for someone with distinctive hair.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haire
Among Census respondents with the surname Haire, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Haire 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 Haire surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.4% · 4,405
- Black or African American10.2% · 544
- Two or more races3.4% · 183
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 134
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Haire
Haire 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
#5,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,794
+122 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.96
Rank movement Down 332 places
2020
#6,145
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,344
-450 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 1.79
Rank movement Down 203 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,610 | 5,672 | 2.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,942 | 5,794 | 1.96 | +122 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 332 places |
| 2020 | #6,145 | 5,344 | 1.79 | -450 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 203 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 Haire 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 | #5,942 | #6,145 | -3.4% |
| Count | 5,794 | 5,344 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.96 | 1.79 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Haire bearers went from 5,794 to 5,344 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 203 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,942 to #6,145.
FAQ
Haire surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Haire?
Name Census estimates that about 6,128 living Americans carry the surname Haire. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,932 residents.
How common is Haire?
Haire ranks #6,145 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.79 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 5,344 people with the surname Haire. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.79 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 Haire.
Has Haire become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Haire went from 5,794 recorded bearers to 5,344. That is a decrease of 450 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,942 to #6,145.
What does the Census say about the background of Haire?
Among Census respondents with the surname Haire, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Two or More Races (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 Haire in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (4,405 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Haire appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.4%), Black (10.2%), Two or More Races (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 Haire (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 Haire mean?
Derived from Middle English "haire," referring to someone with a mass of hair or a long-haired appearance. 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 Haire (1.79 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 Haire?
You can see how many people have the surname Haire on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.