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

Hardesty, 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 Hardesty surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hardesty in America

Hardesty is the 3316th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hardesty surname appeared 10,817 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Hardesty.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hardesty 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 Hardesty

The surname Hardesty originates from England and dates back to the late medieval period. It is a locational surname derived from the Old English words "herd" meaning a herd or flock, and "stede" meaning a place or homestead. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived at or near a place where animals were herded or grazed.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1292, which mention a Robert de Herdestede. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also contain a reference to a Robert de Herdestede in Oxfordshire. These early spellings suggest the name originated in the Midlands region of England.

The Hardesty name is also linked to several place names, such as Hardestye in Lancashire and Hardisty Hill in Yorkshire. These place names likely originated from the same Old English roots and may have been the specific locations from which some early bearers of the surname derived their name.

Notable individuals who bore the Hardesty surname include John Hardesty (c. 1575-1639), an English clergyman who served as the Vicar of Stanground in Huntingdonshire. Another early bearer of the name was William Hardesty (c. 1620-1677), a Quaker preacher and author who was imprisoned for his religious beliefs during the reign of Charles II.

In the 18th century, Thomas Hardesty (1726-1808) was a prominent English architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Westminster. His son, also named Thomas Hardesty (1757-1825), followed in his footsteps as an architect and worked on several projects in London and the surrounding areas.

Finally, one of the most well-known individuals with the Hardesty surname was Sir William Hardesty (1828-1892), a British businessman and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire. He was also a successful industrialist and played a significant role in the development of the coal mining industry in South Wales.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hardesty

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

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

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

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