2000
#13,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Hathorn
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "hawthorn enclosure" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,506 Americans carry the last name Hathorn. That puts it at #13,343 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,773 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hathorn 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 Hathorn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 136,773
Census rank
#13,343
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,185 bearers of the surname Hathorn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13343rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hathorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hathorn
The surname Hathorn has its origins in England, tracing back to the late medieval period. It is likely derived from the Old English words "hæth" meaning a heathland or uncultivated area, and "horn" denoting a small promontory or outcrop of land. This suggests that the name initially referred to a topographical feature, indicating that the earliest bearers of this surname resided near a heathland with a distinctive horn-shaped protrusion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1297, where it appears as "William de Hathorne." This spelling variation highlights the fluidity of surname spellings during that era, as they often evolved based on local dialects and scribal interpretations.
The name Hathorn is also mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1385, which were legal records documenting property transactions. This suggests that by the 14th century, the surname had become well-established and associated with landholdings in various regions of England.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Hathorn surname was Sir Christopher Hathorn (c. 1540-1619), an English politician and diplomat who served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1589. He was also a member of the Worshipful Company of Drapers, a prominent livery company in the City of London.
Another individual of historical significance was John Hathorn (c. 1610-1670), a colonial magistrate and military leader in Massachusetts Bay Colony. He played a crucial role in the Salem Witch Trials, serving as one of the judges who presided over the examinations and trials of accused witches.
The Hathorn surname also gained prominence in the literary world with the American author Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864), who was a descendant of John Hathorn. Hawthorne's works, such as "The Scarlet Letter" and "The House of the Seven Gables," have become classics of American literature.
In the realm of military service, Colonel Henry Hathorn (1719-1794) distinguished himself during the American Revolutionary War, serving as a member of the New Jersey militia and participating in several key battles, including the Battle of Monmouth.
As the centuries passed, the spelling of the surname evolved, with variations such as Hathorne, Haythorne, and Hawthorn appearing in various records. These changes reflect the influence of local dialects and the gradual standardization of English spelling over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hathorn
Among Census respondents with the surname Hathorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hathorn 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 Hathorn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.5% · 1,301
- Black or African American32.9% · 719
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 75
- Two or more races3.3% · 72
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hathorn
Hathorn 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
#13,713
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,207
+82 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 532 places
2020
#13,343
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,185
-22 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 370 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,181 | 2,125 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,713 | 2,207 | 0.75 | +82 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 532 places |
| 2020 | #13,343 | 2,185 | 0.73 | -22 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 370 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 Hathorn 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 | #13,713 | #13,343 | 2.7% |
| Count | 2,207 | 2,185 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.73 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hathorn bearers went from 2,207 to 2,185 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 370 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,713 to #13,343.
FAQ
Hathorn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hathorn?
Name Census estimates that about 2,506 living Americans carry the surname Hathorn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,773 residents.
How common is Hathorn?
Hathorn ranks #13,343 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,185 people with the surname Hathorn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,506), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hathorn.
Has Hathorn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hathorn went from 2,207 recorded bearers to 2,185. That is a decrease of 22 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,713 to #13,343.
What does the Census say about the background of Hathorn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hathorn, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.5%. The next largest groups are Black (32.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Hathorn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.5% (1,301 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hathorn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.5%), Black (32.9%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Hathorn (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 Hathorn mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name meaning "hawthorn enclosure" in Old English. 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 Hathorn (0.73 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 Hathorn?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.