2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hauerwas
A surname likely derived from the German words "hauer" meaning woodcutter and "wasser" meaning water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Hauerwas. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hauerwas 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Hauerwas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hauerwas, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hauerwas
The surname Hauerwas originated in Germany and has its roots in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German words "Hauer," meaning a hewer or woodcutter, and "Was," which refers to a forest or wooded area. The name likely originated in regions of Germany with significant forestry industries, such as the Black Forest or the Bavarian Alps.
During the Middle Ages, many surnames were derived from occupations, and Hauerwas was likely assigned to individuals or families involved in the woodcutting trade. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various German regions.
One notable historical reference to the name Hauerwas is found in the Bürgerbucher (citizen registers) of the city of Nürnberg, which date back to the late 15th century. These records document several individuals with the surname Hauerwas residing in the city during that time.
The earliest known individual with the surname Hauerwas was Hans Hauerwas, a woodcutter born in the village of Oberammergau in the Bavarian Alps in 1432. Another early record is of Johannes Hauerwas, a forester from the town of Freiburg im Breisgau, who lived from 1478 to 1536.
In the 16th century, the Hauerwas family was well-established in the Black Forest region of Germany, with several members working as foresters and woodcutters. Notably, Christoph Hauerwas, born in 1524 in the town of Villingen, was a renowned master woodcarver whose works adorned many churches and buildings in the region.
During the 17th century, the name Hauerwas began to spread beyond Germany as some members of the family emigrated to other parts of Europe. One such individual was Johann Hauerwas, born in 1612 in the town of Freudenstadt, who settled in the Netherlands and became a respected timber merchant in Amsterdam.
As the centuries passed, the Hauerwas name continued to be associated with forestry and woodworking professions, with various individuals gaining recognition in their respective fields. For instance, Konrad Hauerwas, born in 1786 in the village of Schönwald im Schwarzwald, was a renowned master carpenter whose intricate wood carvings adorned many churches and buildings in the Black Forest region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hauerwas
Among Census respondents with the surname Hauerwas, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hauerwas 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 Hauerwas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 116
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hauerwas
Hauerwas 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+6 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,391 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,560 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 3,391 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,560 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 Hauerwas 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 | #139,228 | #142,788 | -2.6% |
| Count | 120 | 119 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hauerwas bearers went from 120 to 119 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,560 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #142,788.
FAQ
Hauerwas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hauerwas?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Hauerwas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Hauerwas?
Hauerwas ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Hauerwas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Hauerwas.
Has Hauerwas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hauerwas went from 120 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Hauerwas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hauerwas, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Hauerwas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hauerwas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Hauerwas (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 Hauerwas mean?
A surname likely derived from the German words "hauer" meaning woodcutter and "wasser" meaning water. 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 Hauerwas (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 Americans have the surname Hauerwas?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.