2000
#7,835
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,919
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Hartsell
Derived from a place name meaning "deer shelter" or "stag's resting place" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,448 Americans carry the last name Hartsell. That puts it at #8,175 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,058 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hartsell 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
4.4K
1 in 77,058
Census rank
#8,175
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,879 bearers of the surname Hartsell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8175th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartsell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hartsell
The surname Hartsell has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "heorot" meaning "hart" or "deer" and "sele" meaning "hall" or "dwelling." Thus, the name likely referred to a place where deer were kept or a dwelling near a deer park.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Herteshelle" in Hampshire. This suggests that the name was already established in parts of southern England by the late 11th century.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, variations of the name such as "Herteshull," "Herteshull," and "Hertshill" can be found in various records and charters from counties like Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. This indicates that the name had spread to different regions of England over time.
Notable individuals bearing the Hartsell surname include Sir John Hartsell (c. 1350-1418), a knight from Wiltshire who fought in the Hundred Years' War. There is also record of a Robert Hartsell (c. 1480-1542), a merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name evolved into spellings like "Hartsill" and "Hartsill," reflecting regional differences in pronunciation and spelling conventions. One prominent figure from this period was William Hartsill (1588-1657), a Puritan clergyman and author from Lincolnshire.
As the British Empire expanded, the Hartsell surname spread to other parts of the world. One example is Captain Henry Hartsell (1712-1783), a British naval officer who served in the West Indies and North America during the 18th century.
Another notable individual was Sir Charles Hartsell (1792-1870), a British diplomat and politician who served as the Governor of British Guiana (now Guyana) from 1844 to 1849.
Throughout its history, the Hartsell surname has maintained its connection to its English roots, with many variations in spelling and pronunciation emerging over the centuries. While the name has been carried around the world, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period and the concept of a dwelling or settlement associated with deer.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hartsell
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartsell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hartsell 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 Hartsell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 3,543
- Two or more races3.2% · 126
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 114
- Black or African American1.4% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hartsell
Hartsell 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
#8,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,040
+121 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 378 places
2020
#8,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,879
-161 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Up 38 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,835 | 3,919 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,213 | 4,040 | 1.37 | +121 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 378 places |
| 2020 | #8,175 | 3,879 | 1.30 | -161 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 38 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 Hartsell 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 | #8,213 | #8,175 | 0.5% |
| Count | 4,040 | 3,879 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.30 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hartsell bearers went from 4,040 to 3,879 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 38 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,213 to #8,175.
FAQ
Hartsell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hartsell?
Name Census estimates that about 4,448 living Americans carry the surname Hartsell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,058 residents.
How common is Hartsell?
Hartsell ranks #8,175 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,879 people with the surname Hartsell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,448), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hartsell.
Has Hartsell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hartsell went from 4,040 recorded bearers to 3,879. That is a decrease of 161 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,213 to #8,175.
What does the Census say about the background of Hartsell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartsell, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Hartsell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (3,543 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hartsell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Hartsell (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 Hartsell mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "deer shelter" or "stag's resting 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 Hartsell (1.30 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 Hartsell?
See how many people have the surname Hartsell on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.