2000
#3,486
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,376
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.48
Uncommon Last name
Haskell
From a place name meaning "witch's nook" in Old English, likely referring to a remote valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,490 Americans carry the last name Haskell. That puts it at #3,785 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,674 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Haskell 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 Haskell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 32,674
Census rank
#3,785
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.1K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,148 bearers of the surname Haskell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3785th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Haskell, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Haskell
The surname Haskell has its origins in England, dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the place name Hassall, which is found in various parts of the country, including Cheshire, Staffordshire, and Derbyshire. The name itself is thought to come from the Old English words "hæsel" meaning "hazel" and "halh" meaning "nook" or "recess," suggesting that the original bearers of the name lived near a hazel grove or thicket.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1199, which mention a person named William de Hassale. The name also appears in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1277, where it is spelled as Hasshull. Over time, various spellings emerged, including Hassall, Hassell, Hasell, and the modern form, Haskell.
In the 14th century, the surname Haskell is documented in the Poll Tax Returns for Yorkshire, where it is recorded as Hassell. During this period, the name seems to have been particularly prevalent in the northern counties of England, such as Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire.
One notable figure bearing the Haskell surname was Sir Thomas Haskell, who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was a member of the English gentry and served as a Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire in 1515. Another prominent individual was Sir Edward Haskell, a 17th-century English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Lyme Regis in 1640.
In the 18th century, the name Haskell can be found in various parish records and census documents across England. One example is William Haskell, who was born in 1742 in Gloucestershire and became a renowned clockmaker and inventor.
During the 19th century, the Haskell surname gained further recognition with individuals like Sir Cedric Haskell (1834-1910), a British army officer who served in the Crimean War and later became a Member of Parliament. Another notable figure was Frederick Haskell (1856-1927), an American architect who designed several notable buildings in Chicago.
Throughout its history, the surname Haskell has been associated with various occupations and professions, including agriculture, skilled trades, and public service. While the name originated in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and settlement patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haskell
Among Census respondents with the surname Haskell, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Haskell 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 Haskell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 7,963
- Black or African American4.3% · 389
- Two or more races3.7% · 342
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 310
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 69
Timeline
Historical Census data for Haskell
Haskell 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
#3,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,816
+440 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 3.33
Rank movement Down 131 places
2020
#3,785
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,148
-668 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 3.06
Rank movement Down 168 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,486 | 9,376 | 3.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,617 | 9,816 | 3.33 | +440 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 131 places |
| 2020 | #3,785 | 9,148 | 3.06 | -668 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 168 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 Haskell 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 | #3,617 | #3,785 | -4.6% |
| Count | 9,816 | 9,148 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 3.33 | 3.06 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Haskell bearers went from 9,816 to 9,148 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 168 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,617 to #3,785.
FAQ
Haskell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Haskell?
Name Census estimates that about 10,490 living Americans carry the surname Haskell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,674 residents.
How common is Haskell?
Haskell ranks #3,785 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,148 people with the surname Haskell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,490), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Haskell.
Has Haskell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Haskell went from 9,816 recorded bearers to 9,148. That is a decrease of 668 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,617 to #3,785.
What does the Census say about the background of Haskell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Haskell, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Haskell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (7,963 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Haskell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Black (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Haskell (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 Haskell mean?
From a place name meaning "witch's nook" in Old English, likely referring to a remote valley. 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 Haskell (3.06 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 Americans have the surname Haskell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.