2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Halgas
A surname derived from the Old Norse word "hālga", meaning heathen or pagan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Halgas. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Halgas 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.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Halgas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Halgas, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Halgas
The surname HALGAS is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "healh" and "gas," meaning "nook" and "goose," respectively. This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive term for someone who lived near a secluded area frequented by geese.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the late 12th century, where a person named Willelmus de Halghas is mentioned. This early spelling variation hints at the name's evolution over time.
In the 13th century, the Hundredorum Rolls of Lincolnshire contain a reference to a place called "Halghas," which could be related to the surname's origins. It is possible that the name was initially a locational identifier for someone hailing from a area with a similar topography.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and tenants in England compiled in 1086, does not appear to include any direct mentions of the name HALGAS. However, it's worth noting that many surnames emerged and evolved after this influential record was created.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the surname HALGAS was John Halgas, born in 1412 in Yorkshire. He was a prominent landowner and served as a local magistrate in his region.
Another notable figure was William Halgas (1538-1612), a respected scholar and theologian who taught at Oxford University. He was known for his scholarly works on religious philosophy and his contributions to the intellectual discourse of the time.
In the 17th century, Elizabeth Halgas (1620-1698) gained recognition as a skilled weaver and textile artisan. Her intricate tapestries and woven works were highly sought after by nobility and wealthy patrons.
The 18th century saw the rise of Sir Thomas Halgas (1745-1824), a successful merchant and philanthropist. He amassed a considerable fortune through his trading ventures and was renowned for his charitable endeavors, particularly his support for orphanages and educational institutions.
Lastly, in the 19th century, John Halgas (1832-1912) made his mark as a pioneering explorer and naturalist. His expeditions to remote regions of Africa and Asia led to the discovery of several new plant and animal species, earning him recognition from prestigious scientific societies of the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Halgas
Among Census respondents with the surname Halgas, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Halgas 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 Halgas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.6% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Halgas
Halgas 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,840 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-11 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,783 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 9,840 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 11,783 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 Halgas 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 | #134,712 | #146,495 | -8.7% |
| Count | 125 | 114 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Halgas bearers went from 125 to 114 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 11,783 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #146,495.
FAQ
Halgas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Halgas?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Halgas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Halgas?
Halgas ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Halgas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Halgas.
Has Halgas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Halgas went from 125 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Halgas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Halgas, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Halgas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Halgas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.6%), Hispanic (1.8%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Halgas (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 Halgas mean?
A surname derived from the Old Norse word "hālga", meaning heathen or pagan. 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 Halgas (0.04 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 Halgas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.