2000
#13,459
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,075
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.77
Rare Last name
Haydon
From an English place name meaning "hay hill," or referring to someone who lived near or worked on one.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,253 Americans carry the last name Haydon. That puts it at #14,572 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 152,132 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Haydon 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 Haydon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 152,132
Census rank
#14,572
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,965 bearers of the surname Haydon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14572nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Haydon, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Haydon
The surname HAYDON is of English origin and can be traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "heg" or "haeg," which means "hay" or "hedge," combined with the word "dun," meaning "hill" or "down." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a hay-covered hill or a hedged enclosure.
The earliest recorded instances of the HAYDON surname can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable reference is in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1279, which mentions a Robert de Heydon. Additionally, the name appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, where a Thomas de Haydon is listed.
During the 13th century, the HAYDON surname was primarily concentrated in the counties of Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, and Dorset. Over time, the name spread to other parts of England, with variations in spelling such as Heydon, Haidon, and Hayden emerging.
One of the earliest known bearers of the HAYDON surname was Sir John Haydon, who lived in the late 14th century and served as the High Sheriff of Somerset in 1389. Another notable figure was Sir Henry Haydon, born around 1460, who was a member of the English gentry and held lands in Wiltshire.
In the 16th century, the HAYDON family gained prominence in Devon, where they owned the manor of Ebford. One of their descendants, John Haydon, born in 1588, was a noted English scholar and ecclesiastical writer. He published several works, including "The Sanctuary of a Troubled Soul" and "The Holy Guide."
Another prominent individual with the HAYDON surname was Lewis Haydon, born in 1676, who served as the Mayor of Salisbury in 1723. He was a successful businessman and philanthropist, and his legacy includes the Haydon Almshouses, which he established in Salisbury for the poor.
In the 18th century, the HAYDON name was also associated with the arts. George Haydon, born in 1786, was an English painter known for his historical and religious works, including "The Entry into Jerusalem" and "The Judgment of Solomon."
While the HAYDON surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, through immigration and migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haydon
Among Census respondents with the surname Haydon, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Haydon 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 Haydon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 1,771
- Two or more races3.1% · 61
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 60
- Black or African American2.4% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Haydon
Haydon 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
#14,398
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,076
+1 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 939 places
2020
#14,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,965
-111 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,459 | 2,075 | 0.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,398 | 2,076 | 0.70 | +1 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 939 places |
| 2020 | #14,572 | 1,965 | 0.66 | -111 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 174 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 Haydon 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 | #14,398 | #14,572 | -1.2% |
| Count | 2,076 | 1,965 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.66 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Haydon bearers went from 2,076 to 1,965 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 174 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,398 to #14,572.
FAQ
Haydon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Haydon?
Name Census estimates that about 2,253 living Americans carry the surname Haydon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 152,132 residents.
How common is Haydon?
Haydon ranks #14,572 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,965 people with the surname Haydon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,253), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Haydon.
Has Haydon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Haydon went from 2,076 recorded bearers to 1,965. That is a decrease of 111 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,398 to #14,572.
What does the Census say about the background of Haydon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Haydon, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Haydon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (1,771 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Haydon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Haydon (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 Haydon mean?
From an English place name meaning "hay hill," or referring to someone who lived near or worked on 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 Haydon (0.66 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 Haydon?
If you just want to know how many people are called Haydon, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.