2000
#2,951
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,214
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.16
Uncommon Last name
Havens
A surname referring to someone who lived near a harbor or safe haven, or worked in one.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,784 Americans carry the last name Havens. That puts it at #3,157 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,811 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Havens 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 Havens with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
13K
1 in 26,811
Census rank
#3,157
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,148 bearers of the surname Havens in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3157th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Havens, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Havens
The surname Havens originated in England, derived from the Old English word "hafen," meaning "haven" or "harbor." The name likely referred to individuals who lived near a port or coastal town.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared as "de la Havene" in old records, indicating its early connection to specific locations. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 mentioned a William de la Havene in Norfolk, and the Sussex Subsidy Rolls of 1296 recorded a John atte Havene.
The Domesday Book of 1086, one of the oldest surviving public records in England, did not include any direct references to the surname Havens. However, it listed several places with names like "Hafre" and "Haveringes," which may have been precursors to the modern surname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Havens was in 1327, when a John de Havene was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex. In the 14th century, the name appeared as "Havyn" and "Haván" in various records.
Notable historical figures with the surname Havens include:
1. John Havens (c. 1592-1638), an early settler in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the founders of Hartford, Connecticut.
2. Robert Havens (1608-1687), an English Quaker who emigrated to Long Island, New York, and became one of the first settlers of the town of Gravesend.
3. Moses Havens (1725-1808), an American Revolutionary War soldier and founder of the town of Havensville, Kansas.
4. Reuben Havens (1757-1840), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler of Ohio.
5. Jonathan Havens (1795-1873), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from New York.
The surname Havens has also been associated with various place names over time, such as Haven's Point in Connecticut, Havens Beach in New Jersey, and Havens Creek in Pennsylvania, further reflecting its historic ties to coastal areas and waterways.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Havens
Among Census respondents with the surname Havens, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Havens 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 Havens surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 9,982
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 473
- Two or more races3.7% · 409
- Black or African American1.5% · 163
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 64
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Havens
Havens 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
#3,066
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,699
+485 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 3.97
Rank movement Down 115 places
2020
#3,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,148
-551 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 3.73
Rank movement Down 91 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,951 | 11,214 | 4.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,066 | 11,699 | 3.97 | +485 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 115 places |
| 2020 | #3,157 | 11,148 | 3.73 | -551 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 91 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 Havens 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 | #3,066 | #3,157 | -3.0% |
| Count | 11,699 | 11,148 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.97 | 3.73 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Havens bearers went from 11,699 to 11,148 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 91 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,066 to #3,157.
FAQ
Havens surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Havens?
Name Census estimates that about 12,784 living Americans carry the surname Havens. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,811 residents.
How common is Havens?
Havens ranks #3,157 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,148 people with the surname Havens. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,784), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Havens.
Has Havens become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Havens went from 11,699 recorded bearers to 11,148. That is a decrease of 551 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,066 to #3,157.
What does the Census say about the background of Havens?
Among Census respondents with the surname Havens, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Havens in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (9,982 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Havens appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Havens (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 Havens mean?
A surname referring to someone who lived near a harbor or safe haven, or worked in one. 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 Havens (3.73 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 common is the surname Havens?
If you just want to know how many people are called Havens, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.