2000
#5,942
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,334
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.98
Rare Last name
Hatchett
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of hatchets or other small axes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,226 Americans carry the last name Hatchett. That puts it at #6,078 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,052 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hatchett 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 Hatchett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.2K
1 in 55,052
Census rank
#6,078
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,429 bearers of the surname Hatchett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6078th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hatchett, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.9%. The next largest groups are White (39.6%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hatchett
The surname Hatchett originates from England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "hæcced," which means "hooked" or "bent." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a path or road with a distinct bend or curve.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named Richard Hacchet is mentioned. The name also appears in the Curia Regis Rolls of Warwickshire from 1221, which references a William Hacchet.
In the 13th century, the name was often spelled as "Hachet" or "Hacchet." It wasn't until the 14th century that the more modern spelling of "Hatchett" became more prevalent.
The Hatchett name has been associated with various locations throughout England, including the counties of Lincolnshire, Warwickshire, and Somerset. Some place names that may have influenced the surname's development include Hatchett Lane in Wiltshire and Hatchett's Pond in Essex.
Notable individuals with the surname Hatchett throughout history include:
1. John Hatchett (c. 1435-1505), an English landowner and Member of Parliament for Somerset in 1495.
2. Thomas Hatchett (1588-1654), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Wiltshire from 1638 until his death.
3. Charles Hatchett (1765-1847), an English chemist and mineralogist who discovered several new elements, including niobium.
4. John Hatchett (1783-1865), an English architect known for designing several churches and public buildings in London.
5. William Hatchett (1823-1901), an English lawyer and Conservative Party politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire from 1868 to 1885.
While the name Hatchett may have originated as a descriptive surname referring to someone living near a distinctive path or road, it has since become a well-established surname with a rich history spanning several centuries in England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hatchett
Among Census respondents with the surname Hatchett, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.9%. The next largest groups are White (39.6%) and Two or More Races (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hatchett 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 Hatchett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American49.9% · 2,708
- White39.6% · 2,150
- Two or more races6.0% · 324
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 201
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hatchett
Hatchett 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
#6,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,726
+392 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Down 63 places
2020
#6,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,429
-297 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Down 73 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,942 | 5,334 | 1.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,005 | 5,726 | 1.94 | +392 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 63 places |
| 2020 | #6,078 | 5,429 | 1.82 | -297 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 73 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 Hatchett 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 | #6,005 | #6,078 | -1.2% |
| Count | 5,726 | 5,429 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.94 | 1.82 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hatchett bearers went from 5,726 to 5,429 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 73 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,005 to #6,078.
FAQ
Hatchett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hatchett?
Name Census estimates that about 6,226 living Americans carry the surname Hatchett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,052 residents.
How common is Hatchett?
Hatchett ranks #6,078 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.82 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 5,429 people with the surname Hatchett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,226), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.82 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 Hatchett.
Has Hatchett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hatchett went from 5,726 recorded bearers to 5,429. That is a decrease of 297 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,005 to #6,078.
What does the Census say about the background of Hatchett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hatchett, the largest self-reported group is Black at 49.9%. The next largest groups are White (39.6%) and Two or More Races (6.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hatchett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.9% (2,708 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hatchett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (49.9%), White (39.6%), Two or More Races (6.0%). 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 Hatchett (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 Hatchett mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of hatchets or other small axes. 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 Hatchett (1.82 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 are called Hatchett?
You can see how many people are called Hatchett on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.