2000
#8,733
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,463
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.28
Rare Last name
Haven
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a safe harbor or place of shelter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,698 Americans carry the last name Haven. That puts it at #9,628 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,686 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Haven 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 Haven with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 92,686
Census rank
#9,628
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,225 bearers of the surname Haven in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9628th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Haven, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Haven
The surname Haven is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "hæfen," meaning "haven" or "harbor." It is believed to have emerged as a surname in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
The name Haven is thought to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a harbor or a safe anchorage for ships. It may have been given to individuals residing in coastal areas or near ports, serving as a descriptive identifier of their location or occupation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Haven can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex, dated 1296, where a certain William atte Havene is mentioned. This spelling variation, "atte Havene," suggests that the name was initially used as a descriptive phrase, meaning "at the haven" or "by the harbor."
In the 14th century, the surname Haven appeared in various records, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1371, where a John Haven is mentioned. The spelling had evolved closer to its modern form by this time.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Haven throughout history include Thomas Haven (c. 1555-1629), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford. Another prominent figure was Nathaniel Haven (1638-1718), a Puritan minister and one of the founders of the First Church in Framingham, Massachusetts.
In the 18th century, Samuel Haven (1727-1806) was a prominent American educator and clergyman who served as the fifth president of the University of Rhode Island. Joseph Haven (1777-1852), an American soldier and politician, served as a brigadier general during the War of 1812 and later became a member of the United States House of Representatives.
The Haven surname has also been associated with notable authors and academics, such as Kendall Haven (1890-1965), an American writer and professor of English at the University of Richmond, and Cynthia Haven (born 1948), an American biographer and literary scholar known for her works on Peter Matthiessen and W.G. Sebald.
While the surname Haven has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and other English-speaking countries, carried by individuals and families who traced their ancestry back to its English origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haven
Among Census respondents with the surname Haven, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Haven 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 Haven surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 2,725
- Black or African American4.4% · 141
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 133
- Two or more races3.6% · 117
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Haven
Haven 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
#9,043
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,614
+151 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 310 places
2020
#9,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,225
-389 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 585 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,733 | 3,463 | 1.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,043 | 3,614 | 1.23 | +151 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 310 places |
| 2020 | #9,628 | 3,225 | 1.08 | -389 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 585 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 Haven 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 | #9,043 | #9,628 | -6.5% |
| Count | 3,614 | 3,225 | -10.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.23 | 1.08 | -12.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Haven bearers went from 3,614 to 3,225 (-10.8% change). The surname moved down 585 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,043 to #9,628.
FAQ
Haven surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Haven?
Name Census estimates that about 3,698 living Americans carry the surname Haven. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,686 residents.
How common is Haven?
Haven ranks #9,628 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 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 3,225 people with the surname Haven. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,698), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 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 Haven.
Has Haven become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Haven went from 3,614 recorded bearers to 3,225. That is a decrease of 389 (-10.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,043 to #9,628.
What does the Census say about the background of Haven?
Among Census respondents with the surname Haven, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Haven in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (2,725 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Haven appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Black (4.4%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Haven (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 Haven mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a safe harbor or place of shelter. 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 Haven (1.08 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 surname Haven?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.