2000
#6,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,078
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.88
Rare Last name
Hallett
Derived from a place name meaning "nook of land, recess" or "hidden place" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,922 Americans carry the last name Hallett. That puts it at #6,334 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,878 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hallett 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 Hallett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 57,878
Census rank
#6,334
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,164 bearers of the surname Hallett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6334th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hallett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hallett
The surname Hallett has its origins in England, where it first emerged during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "hæl" meaning "nook" or "remote place" and "geat" meaning "gate" or "opening," thus referring to someone who lived near a remote gate or opening.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hallet." This suggests that the name was already well-established in parts of England by the late 11th century.
The surname Hallett has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Hallett's Shute in Devon and Hallett's Clump in Wiltshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in different regions.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Hallett throughout history are:
1. Sir Benjamin Hallett (1591-1654), an English lawyer and politician who served as a member of parliament for Thetford and Aldeburgh.
2. Edward Hallett Carr (1892-1982), a British historian, diplomat, and journalist, known for his influential works on Soviet history.
3. Sir Colin Rex Hallett (1924-2008), a British diplomat who served as the British Ambassador to Germany from 1976 to 1981.
4. Samuel Hallett (1767-1839), an English inventor and engineer who patented several important inventions related to steam engines and boilers.
5. Benjamin Hallett (1797-1862), an English landscape painter and etcher, known for his depictions of rural scenes and landscapes.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Hallett has undergone various spelling variations, including Hallet, Hallit, Hallitt, and Hallit. These variations reflect the influence of regional dialects and the evolution of the English language over time.
The Hallett surname has a rich history, with its roots firmly planted in the medieval English countryside. Its enduring presence over the centuries has contributed to the diversity of English surnames and serves as a testament to the longevity of this family name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hallett
Among Census respondents with the surname Hallett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hallett 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 Hallett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 4,521
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 217
- Two or more races3.4% · 175
- Black or African American3.3% · 172
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 37
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hallett
Hallett 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
#6,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,731
+653 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Up 205 places
2020
#6,334
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,164
-567 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Down 334 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,205 | 5,078 | 1.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,000 | 5,731 | 1.94 | +653 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 205 places |
| 2020 | #6,334 | 5,164 | 1.73 | -567 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 334 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 Hallett 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 | #6,000 | #6,334 | -5.6% |
| Count | 5,731 | 5,164 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.94 | 1.73 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hallett bearers went from 5,731 to 5,164 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 334 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,000 to #6,334.
FAQ
Hallett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hallett?
Name Census estimates that about 5,922 living Americans carry the surname Hallett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,878 residents.
How common is Hallett?
Hallett ranks #6,334 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.73 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 5,164 people with the surname Hallett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,922), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.73 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 Hallett.
Has Hallett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hallett went from 5,731 recorded bearers to 5,164. That is a decrease of 567 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,000 to #6,334.
What does the Census say about the background of Hallett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hallett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) 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 Hallett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (4,521 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hallett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Hispanic (4.2%), 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 Hallett (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 Hallett mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "nook of land, recess" or "hidden place" in Old English. 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 Hallett (1.73 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 Hallett?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.