2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hath
A locational surname for someone who lived near a heath or heathland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Hath. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hath 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.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Hath in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hath, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hath
The surname HATH is believed to have originated in the regions of northern England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "hæth," meaning a heath or a tract of uncultivated land covered with shrubs and small trees.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname HATH can be traced back to the 13th century, with references found in various historical documents and records. One notable mention is in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1275, where a certain John del Hath is listed as a landowner.
In the 14th century, the surname HATH appeared in the Poll Tax Returns of 1379, which recorded individuals subject to a tax levied by the English government. Among those listed was a Willelmus de Hath from the county of Lancashire.
The HATH surname is also linked to several place names in northern England, such as Hathersage in Derbyshire, which was recorded as "Hathersege" in the Domesday Book of 1086. This connection suggests that some individuals may have adopted the surname based on their place of residence or origin.
Notable individuals bearing the surname HATH throughout history include:
1. Sir John Hath (c. 1420-1489), a prominent English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Yorkshire during the reign of King Henry VI.
2. William Hath (c. 1560-1616), an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Archdeacon of York from 1607 until his death.
3. Elizabeth Hath (c. 1580-1645), an English writer and poet known for her work "The Contemplations of a Retired Gentlewoman," published in 1638.
4. Robert Hath (c. 1610-1678), an English merchant and explorer who is credited with being one of the first Europeans to establish trade relations with the kingdom of Siam (now Thailand).
5. Sir Thomas Hath (c. 1680-1742), an English nobleman and landowner who served as the High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1715.
Throughout the centuries, variations in the spelling of the HATH surname have been observed, including Hathe, Haithe, and Haith, reflecting the regional dialects and pronunciation variations in different areas of northern England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hath
Among Census respondents with the surname Hath, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hath 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 Hath surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.1% · 91
- Black or African American7.0% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.1% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hath
Hath 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-15 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,708 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,590 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 22,708 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 2,590 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 Hath 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 | #148,347 | #145,757 | 1.7% |
| Count | 111 | 115 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hath bearers went from 111 to 115 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 2,590 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #145,757.
FAQ
Hath surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hath?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Hath. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Hath?
Hath ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Hath. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hath.
Has Hath become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hath went from 111 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 4 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Hath?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hath, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%). 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 Hath in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.1% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hath appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.1%), Black (7.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (6.1%). 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 Hath (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 Hath mean?
A locational surname for someone who lived near a heath or heathland. 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 Hath (0.04 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 Hath?
See how many Americans have the surname Hath on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.