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

Hastings, 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 Hastings surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hastings in America

Hastings is the 1253rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hastings surname appeared 28,015 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname Hastings.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hastings 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 Hastings

The surname Hastings is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the town of Hastings in East Sussex, England. The name can be traced back to the 11th century and the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

Hastings was originally a Saxon settlement known as Hastingaceaster or Hastingacaestra, meaning "the castle or fort of Hastings." The name likely referred to a fortified settlement established by a Saxon leader named Hæsta or Hæsting.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hastings appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation initiated by William the Conqueror. The book mentions a landowner named Ralph de Hastings, who held substantial estates in Yorkshire and Leicestershire.

In the 12th century, a prominent figure named Henry de Hastings (c. 1130-1195) served as Sheriff of Yorkshire and Constable of Richmond Castle. He was a loyal supporter of King Henry II and played a significant role in the suppression of the Great Revolt of 1173-1174.

During the 13th century, Sir Henry Hastings (c. 1235-1269) was a notable English knight who accompanied King Edward I on the Eighth Crusade to the Holy Land. He died in Acre, Palestine, during the crusade.

The Hastings family continued to rise in prominence, and in the 14th century, Sir John Hastings (c. 1347-1389) served as a military commander and diplomat under King Edward III. He was appointed Earl of Pembroke in 1368 and participated in several military campaigns against France during the Hundred Years' War.

Another notable figure was Sir William Hastings (c. 1431-1483), who served as Lord Chamberlain to King Edward IV. He was a loyal supporter of the House of York during the Wars of the Roses and played a crucial role in the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471. However, he was later executed by King Richard III, marking a tragic end to his influential career.

Throughout the centuries, the Hastings surname has been associated with various place names and localities in England, such as Hastings in East Sussex, Hastings in Northamptonshire, and Hastings in Worcestershire. The name has also been recorded with slight variations in spelling, such as Hastyngs, Hastinges, and Hastingis.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hastings

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

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

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

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