2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hatlee
A variant of Hatley, which was likely a locational surname for someone from a settlement with that name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Hatlee. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hatlee 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Hatlee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hatlee, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hatlee
The surname HATLEE has its origins in England, emerging in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "hæt" meaning "hat" and "leah" meaning "meadow" or "clearing." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who lived near a meadow where hats were made or sold.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1195, where it is spelled "Hattelea." This indicates that the name was present in northern England during the Middle Ages.
In the 13th century, the HATLEE surname can be found in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is recorded as "Hattele" in Oxfordshire. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of England by this time.
The HATLEE name is also associated with several place names in England, such as Hatley in Cambridgeshire and Hatley St George in Bedfordshire. These locations may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
One notable person with the HATLEE surname was Sir John Hatlee (c. 1380-1449), a English knight and landowner who served as Sheriff of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire during the reign of Henry VI.
Another individual of note was William Hatlee (1564-1616), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge, from 1609 until his death.
In the 17th century, the HATLEE surname can be found in various parish records, such as the baptism of Susannah Hatlee in 1670 at St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.
During the 18th century, the name gained further recognition with the birth of Thomas Hatlee (1736-1809), a British Army officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became the Governor of St. Kitts.
Another notable figure was John Hatlee (1773-1848), an English engraver and illustrator known for his work on botanical and scientific publications.
The HATLEE surname has endured over the centuries, with various spellings and regional variations emerging throughout its history. Its origins can be traced back to medieval England, and it has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including nobility, clergy, military, and the arts.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hatlee
Among Census respondents with the surname Hatlee, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hatlee 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 Hatlee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.4% · 108
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hatlee
Hatlee 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+6 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,335 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-11 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,505 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 3,335 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 11,505 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 Hatlee 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 | #136,449 | #147,954 | -8.4% |
| Count | 123 | 112 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hatlee bearers went from 123 to 112 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 11,505 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #147,954.
FAQ
Hatlee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hatlee?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Hatlee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Hatlee?
Hatlee ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Hatlee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Hatlee.
Has Hatlee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hatlee went from 123 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Hatlee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hatlee, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Hatlee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hatlee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Black (0.9%). 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 Hatlee (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 Hatlee mean?
A variant of Hatley, which was likely a locational surname for someone from a settlement with that name. 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 Hatlee (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 are called Hatlee?
Find out how many people have the last name Hatlee on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.