2000
#7,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,257
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.58
Rare Last name
Haygood
From an English habitational name referring to someone who lived near an enclosure or pen for hay.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,788 Americans carry the last name Haygood. That puts it at #7,641 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,586 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Haygood 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
4.8K
1 in 71,586
Census rank
#7,641
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,175 bearers of the surname Haygood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7641st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Haygood, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.8%. The next largest groups are Black (35.4%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Haygood
The surname Haygood originated in England during the late medieval period, believed to have derived from the Old English words "heg" meaning "hedge" and "god" meaning "good." It likely referred to someone who lived near or maintained a particularly well-kept hedge or enclosure. The name was first recorded in the late 13th century as "Heygod" in tax rolls from the county of Essex.
Some of the earliest documented references to the Haygood surname can be found in parish records from the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1563, a John Haygood was recorded as a landowner in the village of Saffron Walden, Essex. The Haygood surname also appears in the Protestation Returns of 1641-1642, a survey of English households required to swear allegiance to the Protestant religion.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Haygood name was prevalent in various regions of England, particularly in the counties of Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk. Variations in spelling were common, including Heygood, Haygod, and Haygoad. The name's association with rural areas and farming communities suggests that many early Haygoods were involved in agricultural pursuits.
One notable individual bearing the Haygood surname was William Haygood (1625-1704), a wealthy landowner and philanthropist from the village of Great Dunmow, Essex. He donated funds to establish a free grammar school in the town, which still operates today as the Dunmow St. Mary's Primary School.
Another historical figure was Robert Haygood (1688-1761), a merchant and politician who served as an alderman and mayor of the town of Colchester, Essex, in the mid-18th century. He was involved in the local wool trade and played a role in the town's governance during a period of economic growth.
In the 19th century, the Haygood surname spread beyond its English roots as some families emigrated to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. One notable individual from this era was Samuel Haygood (1826-1901), an American educator and Methodist minister who served as the president of Emory College (now Emory University) in Georgia from 1875 to 1884.
While the Haygood surname may have evolved in spelling and geographic distribution over the centuries, its roots can be traced back to the rural communities of medieval England, where it likely originated as a descriptive name for someone associated with a well-maintained hedge or enclosure.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haygood
Among Census respondents with the surname Haygood, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.8%. The next largest groups are Black (35.4%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Haygood 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 Haygood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.8% · 2,328
- Black or African American35.4% · 1,480
- Two or more races5.6% · 235
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 108
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Haygood
Haygood 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
#7,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,536
+279 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 1.54
Rank movement Down 119 places
2020
#7,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,175
-361 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 294 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,228 | 4,257 | 1.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,347 | 4,536 | 1.54 | +279 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 119 places |
| 2020 | #7,641 | 4,175 | 1.40 | -361 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 294 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 Haygood 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 | #7,347 | #7,641 | -4.0% |
| Count | 4,536 | 4,175 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.54 | 1.40 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Haygood bearers went from 4,536 to 4,175 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 294 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,347 to #7,641.
FAQ
Haygood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Haygood?
Name Census estimates that about 4,788 living Americans carry the surname Haygood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,586 residents.
How common is Haygood?
Haygood ranks #7,641 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.40 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 4,175 people with the surname Haygood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,788), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.40 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 Haygood.
Has Haygood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Haygood went from 4,536 recorded bearers to 4,175. That is a decrease of 361 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,347 to #7,641.
What does the Census say about the background of Haygood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Haygood, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.8%. The next largest groups are Black (35.4%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Haygood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.8% (2,328 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Haygood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.8%), Black (35.4%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Haygood (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 Haygood mean?
From an English habitational name referring to someone who lived near an enclosure or pen for hay. 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 Haygood (1.40 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 Haygood?
Find out how many people have the last name Haygood on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.