2000
#2,218
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,044
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.58
Uncommon Last name
Hayward
An English occupational surname referring to a person who protected an enclosed forest or was responsible for fencing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,569 Americans carry the last name Hayward. That puts it at #2,321 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,509 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hayward 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 Hayward with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,509
Census rank
#2,321
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,321 bearers of the surname Hayward in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2321st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hayward, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.3%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hayward
The surname Hayward originates from England and dates back to the 13th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English words "haye" meaning hedge and "weard" meaning guard or keeper. The name was initially given to someone who was responsible for guarding or maintaining hedges or enclosures.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Hayward can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it appears as "Heywarde." This document was a survey of land ownership and individuals' occupations during the reign of King Edward I.
Another early reference to the name Hayward is in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which lists a "Johannes Haywarde." These rolls were tax records that provided valuable information about the population and their professions during that era.
In the 14th century, the surname Hayward appeared in various forms, such as "Heyward," "Haywarde," and "Haywerd," reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.
One notable historical figure with the surname Hayward was Sir John Hayward (c. 1560-1627), an English historian and author who wrote "The Life and Raigne of King Edward the Sixth." He was born in Felixstowe, Suffolk, and served as a Member of Parliament.
Another prominent individual was Thomas Hayward (c. 1567-1645), an English clergyman and writer. He was the rector of St. Giles-in-the-Fields in London and wrote several religious works, including "The Banquet of Celestial Doctrine."
In the 17th century, the surname Hayward was associated with several place names, such as Hayward's Field in Staffordshire and Hayward's Heath in Sussex. These place names likely derived from individuals with the surname who owned or were associated with those locations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hayward in America can be found in the records of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635, where a William Hayward is listed as a freeman.
Another notable figure was Giles Hayward (c. 1617-1668), an English-born settler in Virginia who served as a member of the House of Burgesses and was involved in the colony's tobacco trade.
In the 19th century, John Hayward (1781-1849) was a renowned English author and biographer who wrote works such as "The Book of Dignities" and "Illustrations of Butlers Lives of the Saints."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hayward
Among Census respondents with the surname Hayward, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.3%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hayward 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 Hayward surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.3% · 10,464
- Black or African American21.9% · 3,348
- Two or more races4.5% · 682
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 508
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 180
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 139
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hayward
Hayward 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
#2,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,665
+621 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 5.31
Rank movement Down 109 places
2020
#2,321
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,321
-344 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 5.13
Rank movement Up 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,218 | 15,044 | 5.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,327 | 15,665 | 5.31 | +621 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 109 places |
| 2020 | #2,321 | 15,321 | 5.13 | -344 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 6 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 Hayward 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 | #2,327 | #2,321 | 0.3% |
| Count | 15,665 | 15,321 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 5.31 | 5.13 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hayward bearers went from 15,665 to 15,321 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,327 to #2,321.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hayward
FAQ
Hayward surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hayward?
Name Census estimates that about 17,569 living Americans carry the surname Hayward. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,509 residents.
How common is Hayward?
Hayward ranks #2,321 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,321 people with the surname Hayward. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,569), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Hayward.
Has Hayward become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hayward went from 15,665 recorded bearers to 15,321. That is a decrease of 344 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,327 to #2,321.
What does the Census say about the background of Hayward?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hayward, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.3%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Hayward in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.3% (10,464 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hayward appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.3%), Black (21.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Hayward (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 Hayward mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who protected an enclosed forest or was responsible for fencing. 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 Hayward (5.13 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 Hayward?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.