2000
#5,287
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,058
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.25
Rare Last name
Hassell
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "witch's corner" or "witch's nook."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,601 Americans carry the last name Hassell. That puts it at #5,795 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,925 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hassell 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 Hassell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.6K
1 in 51,925
Census rank
#5,795
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,756 bearers of the surname Hassell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5795th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hassell, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.3%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hassell
The surname Hassell originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the Old English words 'hæsel' meaning hazel tree or hazel wood, and 'holm' meaning a small island or dry ground in a marsh. This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived near a hazel tree or copse on a small island or raised ground in a marshy area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, with spelling variations such as Haselholt, Haselholte, and Hasselholt. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John de Haselholt, who was mentioned in the Hundredorum Rolls of Yorkshire in 1273.
In the 15th century, the Hassell family was well-established in the county of Dorset, where they held land and property. John Hassell (c. 1420-1490) was a prominent figure in the area and served as the Sheriff of Dorset and Somerset in 1467.
As the name spread across England, it evolved into different spellings, including Hassel, Hassall, and Hassall. Notable individuals with this surname include Edward Hassell (1572-1652), an English theologian and author who wrote several religious works, and John Hassell (1767-1825), a celebrated English landscape painter and engraver known for his picturesque views of English towns and landscapes.
In the 18th century, the Hassell family had a presence in the coastal town of Weymouth, Dorset. William Hassell (1737-1799) was a successful merchant and ship owner who played a significant role in the town's maritime trade. His son, Edward Hassell (1789-1852), followed in his footsteps and became a prominent ship owner and businessman in Weymouth.
Another notable figure with the Hassell surname was John Hassell (1809-1888), a British architect and civil engineer who designed several important public buildings and infrastructure projects in the 19th century, including the Croydon Town Hall and the Dorking to Guildford railway line.
Throughout history, the Hassell name has been associated with various professions and achievements, ranging from religious scholars and authors to artists, merchants, and architects. While the exact origins of the name may be obscured by time, its English roots and connections to specific regions and historical figures have been well documented.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hassell
Among Census respondents with the surname Hassell, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.3%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hassell 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 Hassell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.3% · 3,991
- Black or African American21.3% · 1,224
- Two or more races4.5% · 257
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 223
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hassell
Hassell 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
#5,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,273
+215 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 2.13
Rank movement Down 251 places
2020
#5,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,756
-517 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.93
Rank movement Down 257 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,287 | 6,058 | 2.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,538 | 6,273 | 2.13 | +215 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 251 places |
| 2020 | #5,795 | 5,756 | 1.93 | -517 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 257 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 Hassell 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 | #5,538 | #5,795 | -4.6% |
| Count | 6,273 | 5,756 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.13 | 1.93 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hassell bearers went from 6,273 to 5,756 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 257 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,538 to #5,795.
FAQ
Hassell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hassell?
Name Census estimates that about 6,601 living Americans carry the surname Hassell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,925 residents.
How common is Hassell?
Hassell ranks #5,795 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.93 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 5,756 people with the surname Hassell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,601), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.93 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 Hassell.
Has Hassell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hassell went from 6,273 recorded bearers to 5,756. That is a decrease of 517 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,538 to #5,795.
What does the Census say about the background of Hassell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hassell, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.3%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Hassell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.3% (3,991 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hassell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.3%), Black (21.3%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Hassell (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 Hassell mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "witch's corner" or "witch's nook." 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 Hassell (1.93 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 Hassell?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.