2000
#6,861
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,518
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.67
Rare Last name
Halbert
An English occupational surname derived from a nickname for a soldier who wielded a halberd (a type of weapon).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,149 Americans carry the last name Halbert. That puts it at #7,177 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,567 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Halbert 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 Halbert with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 66,567
Census rank
#7,177
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,490 bearers of the surname Halbert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7177th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Halbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Halbert
The surname Halbert is believed to have originated in England, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be a variant of the Old English name Halberd, which referred to a type of medieval weapon resembling a spear with an axe-like blade.
The name likely emerged as an occupational surname, given to individuals who were skilled in the use or production of halberds. Some early recorded spellings include Halbert, Halberd, and Halbirt, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a certain William Halberd. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also record a John Halberd in Oxfordshire.
In Scotland, the name Halbert has a strong connection to the Clan Seton, a prominent family with roots in East Lothian. Sir William Seton, who lived in the late 14th century, was known as "Halberd Seton" due to his prowess with the weapon.
Notable individuals with the surname Halbert include:
1. Nathaniel Halbert (c. 1670-1751), an English Quaker leader and writer from Yorkshire.
2. Benjamin Vaughan Halbert (1787-1868), an American politician and lawyer who served as a U.S. Representative from New Jersey.
3. Henry Sale Halbert (1837-1919), an American anthropologist and ethnologist who studied Native American cultures, particularly in the Southeast.
4. Homer Halbert (1876-1951), an American baseball player who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in the early 20th century.
5. Blanche Halbert (1886-1971), an American writer and journalist known for her work on African American history and culture.
The surname Halbert has also been associated with various place names, such as Halbert's Head in Gloucestershire and Halberts Green in Herefordshire, further solidifying its English roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Halbert
Among Census respondents with the surname Halbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Halbert 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 Halbert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.0% · 3,637
- Black or African American10.6% · 477
- Two or more races3.9% · 173
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 135
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Halbert
Halbert 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
#6,888
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,878
+360 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Down 27 places
2020
#7,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,490
-388 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Down 289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,861 | 4,518 | 1.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,888 | 4,878 | 1.65 | +360 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 27 places |
| 2020 | #7,177 | 4,490 | 1.50 | -388 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 289 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 Halbert 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 | #6,888 | #7,177 | -4.2% |
| Count | 4,878 | 4,490 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.65 | 1.50 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Halbert bearers went from 4,878 to 4,490 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 289 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,888 to #7,177.
FAQ
Halbert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Halbert?
Name Census estimates that about 5,149 living Americans carry the surname Halbert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,567 residents.
How common is Halbert?
Halbert ranks #7,177 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.50 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 4,490 people with the surname Halbert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,149), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.50 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 Halbert.
Has Halbert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Halbert went from 4,878 recorded bearers to 4,490. That is a decrease of 388 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,888 to #7,177.
What does the Census say about the background of Halbert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Halbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.0%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Halbert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.0% (3,637 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Halbert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.0%), Black (10.6%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Halbert (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 Halbert mean?
An English occupational surname derived from a nickname for a soldier who wielded a halberd (a type of weapon). 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 Halbert (1.50 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 share the surname Halbert?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.