2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hathhorn
A surname of English origin denoting someone who lived near a thorn bush or hedge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Hathhorn. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hathhorn 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Hathhorn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hathhorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hathhorn
The surname Hathhorn has its origins in England and dates back to the late medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "hæth" meaning heather and "horn" meaning a projecting hill or spur of land, suggesting that the name may have referred to a person who lived near a heather-covered hill or promontory.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it appears as "Hathorne." This early record suggests that the name was already well-established in that region by the 13th century.
The name is also mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation commissioned by William the Conqueror. This reference solidifies the antiquity of the surname and its English origins.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Hathhorn, who was born in Essex, England, in the early 16th century. He was a prominent merchant and landowner, and his descendants continued to play a significant role in the region's affairs for several generations.
Another notable figure was William Hathorne, who was born in England in 1607 and later emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in New England. He served as a magistrate and judge, and his descendants included the famous American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, who changed the spelling of his surname to distinguish himself from his Puritan ancestors.
In the 17th century, the name Hathhorn was also found in the parish records of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. John Hathhorn, born in 1625, and his son, also named John, born in 1657, were both residents of the area.
Another notable bearer of the name was Robert Hathhorn, born in Yorkshire, England, in 1720. He was a successful merchant and landowner, and his family's estate, Hathhorn Hall, still stands today in the village of East Ayton.
Throughout its history, the surname Hathhorn has been subject to various spellings, including Hathorne, Hathorn, Hathron, and Hatherne. These variations reflect the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping common in earlier centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hathhorn
Among Census respondents with the surname Hathhorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hathhorn 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 Hathhorn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.6% · 114
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hathhorn
Hathhorn 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+10 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 489 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,184 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 489 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 6,184 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 Hathhorn 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 | #137,327 | #143,511 | -4.5% |
| Count | 122 | 118 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hathhorn bearers went from 122 to 118 (-3.3% change). The surname moved down 6,184 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #143,511.
FAQ
Hathhorn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hathhorn?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Hathhorn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Hathhorn?
Hathhorn ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Hathhorn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Hathhorn.
Has Hathhorn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hathhorn went from 122 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Hathhorn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hathhorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.6%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Hathhorn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.6% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hathhorn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Hathhorn (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 Hathhorn mean?
A surname of English origin denoting someone who lived near a thorn bush or hedge. 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 Hathhorn (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 share the surname Hathhorn?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.