2000
#7,782
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,937
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Hazard
An occupational surname referring to a person who played games of chance or worked in a dangerous profession.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,602 Americans carry the last name Hazard. That puts it at #7,929 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,479 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hazard 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 Hazard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,479
Census rank
#7,929
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,013 bearers of the surname Hazard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7929th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hazard, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (7.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hazard
The surname HAZARD originated in France during the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "hasard," meaning "chance" or "risk." The name likely originated as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who took risks or lived a hazardous lifestyle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the HAZARD surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire, England, from 1202, where a Robert Hasard is mentioned. In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Hazart, Hasard, and Hassard, in records across Normandy and England.
The HAZARD surname has a long history in England, with notable individuals carrying the name. In the 14th century, Sir Robert Hazard served as a member of parliament for Northampton in 1376. During the 15th century, William Hazard was a prominent landowner in Norfolk, England.
In the 16th century, the HAZARD surname became more widespread across England and the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances in the colonies is Thomas Hazard, who settled in Rhode Island in 1635 and is considered the ancestor of many Hazard families in the United States.
Notable individuals with the HAZARD surname include:
1. Geoffrey Hazard (1737-1820), an English politician and member of parliament for Norfolk.
2. Ebenezer Hazard (1744-1817), an American publisher and historian, known for his work on the historical collections of Pennsylvania.
3. Caroline Hazard (1856-1945), an American educator and philanthropist, who founded the Hazard Memorial School in Rhode Island.
4. Paul Hazard (1878-1944), a French literary critic and historian, recognized for his work on the history of ideas and the Enlightenment.
5. Solly Hazard (1901-1967), an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees in the 1920s.
The HAZARD surname has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be traced back to its French origins. It has been carried by notable individuals in various fields, including politics, literature, education, and sports, across different parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hazard
Among Census respondents with the surname Hazard, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (7.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hazard 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 Hazard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.2% · 3,017
- Black or African American8.9% · 357
- Two or more races7.7% · 309
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 197
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hazard
Hazard 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
#8,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,054
+117 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 394 places
2020
#7,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,013
-41 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Up 247 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,782 | 3,937 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,176 | 4,054 | 1.37 | +117 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 394 places |
| 2020 | #7,929 | 4,013 | 1.34 | -41 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 247 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 Hazard 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 | #8,176 | #7,929 | 3.0% |
| Count | 4,054 | 4,013 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.34 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hazard bearers went from 4,054 to 4,013 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 247 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,176 to #7,929.
FAQ
Hazard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hazard?
Name Census estimates that about 4,602 living Americans carry the surname Hazard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,479 residents.
How common is Hazard?
Hazard ranks #7,929 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.34 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 4,013 people with the surname Hazard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,602), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.34 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 Hazard.
Has Hazard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hazard went from 4,054 recorded bearers to 4,013. That is a decrease of 41 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,176 to #7,929.
What does the Census say about the background of Hazard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hazard, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.9%) and Two or More Races (7.7%). 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 Hazard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.2% (3,017 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hazard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.2%), Black (8.9%), Two or More Races (7.7%). 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 Hazard (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 Hazard mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who played games of chance or worked in a dangerous profession. 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 Hazard (1.34 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 Hazard?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.