2000
#4,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,641
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.46
Rare Last name
Hasty
An English surname derived from a nickname for a quick or impetuous person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,227 Americans carry the last name Hasty. That puts it at #5,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,427 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hasty 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 Hasty with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.2K
1 in 47,427
Census rank
#5,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,302 bearers of the surname Hasty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hasty, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hasty
The surname Hasty is believed to have originated in England in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "hæste" or "hæsten," which means "hasty" or "quick." This suggests that the name may have been originally given as a nickname to someone who was known for their quickness or hastiness.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hasty can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where a person named William le Hasti is mentioned. The use of the prefix "le" before the surname was common in medieval times and indicated a descriptive name.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records with different spellings, such as "Hasty," "Hastie," and "Haistie." These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling during that time.
The Hasty surname may also have connections to place names. For instance, there is a village called Hastingleigh in Kent, England, which could have influenced the name's development.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Hasty surname. One such person was Sir Hugh Hasty (c. 1450-1520), a prominent English landowner and member of the gentry in Gloucestershire. Another was John Hasty (1572-1641), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Ickworth in Suffolk.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in colonial records in America. One example is William Hasty (c. 1630-1708), an early settler in Massachusetts who served as a selectman and representative to the General Court.
The Hasty surname has also been associated with the field of literature. One notable figure was Olga Hasty (1887-1969), an American novelist and short story writer known for her works set in the rural South.
Another individual with the Hasty surname was James M. Hasty (1924-2011), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Missouri House of Representatives and as the Attorney General of Missouri from 1977 to 1985.
While the Hasty surname may have originated as a descriptive nickname, it has since become a established family name with a long and varied history spanning multiple centuries and countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hasty
Among Census respondents with the surname Hasty, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hasty 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 Hasty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.5% · 5,199
- Black or African American9.9% · 626
- Two or more races3.7% · 233
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 191
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hasty
Hasty 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
#5,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,654
+13 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 395 places
2020
#5,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,302
-352 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Down 95 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,849 | 6,641 | 2.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,244 | 6,654 | 2.26 | +13 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 395 places |
| 2020 | #5,339 | 6,302 | 2.11 | -352 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 95 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 Hasty 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 | #5,244 | #5,339 | -1.8% |
| Count | 6,654 | 6,302 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.26 | 2.11 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hasty bearers went from 6,654 to 6,302 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 95 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,244 to #5,339.
FAQ
Hasty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hasty?
Name Census estimates that about 7,227 living Americans carry the surname Hasty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,427 residents.
How common is Hasty?
Hasty ranks #5,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.11 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 6,302 people with the surname Hasty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,227), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.11 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 Hasty.
Has Hasty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hasty went from 6,654 recorded bearers to 6,302. That is a decrease of 352 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,244 to #5,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Hasty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hasty, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) 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 Hasty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.5% (5,199 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hasty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.5%), Black (9.9%), 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 Hasty (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 Hasty mean?
An English surname derived from a nickname for a quick or impetuous person. 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 Hasty (2.11 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 people have the last name Hasty?
You can see how many people have the last name Hasty on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.