2000
#4,870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,621
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.45
Rare Last name
Hartwell
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Hartwell, meaning "deer spring."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,628 Americans carry the last name Hartwell. That puts it at #5,104 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,934 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hartwell 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 Hartwell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.6K
1 in 44,934
Census rank
#5,104
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,652 bearers of the surname Hartwell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5104th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hartwell
The surname Hartwell is of English origin and dates back to the late medieval period. It is a locational name derived from one of the several places in England called Hartwell or Harthill. The name is composed of the Old English words "heorot," meaning "hart" or "stag," and "well," meaning "spring" or "stream." This suggests that the original bearers of the name lived near a stream or spring frequented by deer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1166, which mention a William de Herthewelle. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also include references to people with the name Hartwell residing in various counties, such as Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name appeared in various forms, including Hertwell, Hertewelle, and Herthwell, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that period. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 list a John de Hertwell in Cambridgeshire, while the Poll Tax Returns of 1379 mention a Thomas Hertewell in Yorkshire.
One notable bearer of the name Hartwell was Abbot William Hartwell, who lived in the late 15th century and served as the Abbot of St. Mary's Abbey in York from 1476 to 1509.
In the 16th century, the name Hartwell gained prominence with Sir John Hartwell (c. 1485-1554), a lawyer and member of the English Parliament. He was instrumental in the dissolution of the monasteries under King Henry VIII.
Another prominent figure was Sir Abraham Hartwell (1549-1605), a wealthy merchant and Member of Parliament for Northampton. He was known for his philanthropic endeavors and founded several almshouses in Buckinghamshire.
The 17th century saw the birth of Benjamin Hartwell (1638-1720), an English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works, including "A Treatise on Defamation and Evil Speaking."
In the 18th century, Samuel Hartwell (1715-1792) was a notable English minister and author who wrote extensively on theological subjects.
Throughout history, the Hartwell surname has been associated with various locations, including Hartwell House in Buckinghamshire, a renowned country house that served as a residence for several notable figures, including Louis XVIII of France during his exile from 1809 to 1814.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hartwell
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hartwell 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 Hartwell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.2% · 4,866
- Black or African American17.5% · 1,161
- Two or more races4.4% · 294
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 249
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hartwell
Hartwell 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
#5,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,032
+411 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 2.38
Rank movement Down 130 places
2020
#5,104
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,652
-380 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.23
Rank movement Down 104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,870 | 6,621 | 2.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,000 | 7,032 | 2.38 | +411 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 130 places |
| 2020 | #5,104 | 6,652 | 2.23 | -380 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 104 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 Hartwell 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 | #5,000 | #5,104 | -2.1% |
| Count | 7,032 | 6,652 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.38 | 2.23 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hartwell bearers went from 7,032 to 6,652 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 104 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,000 to #5,104.
FAQ
Hartwell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hartwell?
Name Census estimates that about 7,628 living Americans carry the surname Hartwell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,934 residents.
How common is Hartwell?
Hartwell ranks #5,104 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.23 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 6,652 people with the surname Hartwell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,628), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.23 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 Hartwell.
Has Hartwell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hartwell went from 7,032 recorded bearers to 6,652. That is a decrease of 380 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,000 to #5,104.
What does the Census say about the background of Hartwell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartwell, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.2%. The next largest groups are Black (17.5%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Hartwell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.2% (4,866 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hartwell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.2%), Black (17.5%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Hartwell (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 Hartwell mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Hartwell, meaning "deer spring." 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 Hartwell (2.23 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 Hartwell?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Hartwell on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.