2000
#6,927
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,467
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.66
Rare Last name
Hazelton
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Hazelton in England or the United States.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,112 Americans carry the last name Hazelton. That puts it at #7,220 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,049 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hazelton 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 Hazelton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.1K
1 in 67,049
Census rank
#7,220
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,458 bearers of the surname Hazelton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7220th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hazelton, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hazelton
The surname Hazelton is of English origin, derived from the habitation name "Hazelton" which refers to a place or settlement where hazel trees grew abundantly. The name is believed to have emerged in the late 12th or early 13th century.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname can be traced back to the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1230, where a certain Richard de Haselton is mentioned. These rolls were a collection of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer during the medieval period.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various spellings such as Haselton, Haseltone, and Haselthon, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. The surname is closely associated with the Yorkshire area, particularly around the town of Hazelton, which is now part of Wakefield.
One notable historical figure bearing the Hazelton surname was Sir Richard Hazelton (1490-1559), a member of the English gentry who served as a Member of Parliament for Yorkshire during the reign of King Henry VIII. He was also a prominent landowner and is recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of 1524 and 1547.
Another individual of note was John Hazelton (1615-1690), an English Puritan who migrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s. He was among the early settlers of Haverhill, Massachusetts, and served as a selectman and a deacon in the local church.
In the late 17th century, a family by the name of Hazelton established themselves in the county of Shropshire, England. One of their descendants, Thomas Hazelton (1725-1798), was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Bridgnorth.
During the 18th century, the Hazelton surname also appeared in Scotland, particularly in the Borders region. One notable Scottish bearer of the name was Robert Hazelton (1760-1832), a renowned clockmaker and inventor from Jedburgh.
Throughout its history, the Hazelton surname has been associated with various occupations, including agriculture, trade, and craftsmanship, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hazelton
Among Census respondents with the surname Hazelton, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Hazelton 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 Hazelton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.9% · 3,696
- Black or African American7.1% · 316
- Two or more races4.3% · 191
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 177
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hazelton
Hazelton 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
#7,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,656
+189 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 254 places
2020
#7,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,458
-198 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,927 | 4,467 | 1.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,181 | 4,656 | 1.58 | +189 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 254 places |
| 2020 | #7,220 | 4,458 | 1.49 | -198 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 39 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 Hazelton 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 | #7,181 | #7,220 | -0.5% |
| Count | 4,656 | 4,458 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.58 | 1.49 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hazelton bearers went from 4,656 to 4,458 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,181 to #7,220.
FAQ
Hazelton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hazelton?
Name Census estimates that about 5,112 living Americans carry the surname Hazelton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,049 residents.
How common is Hazelton?
Hazelton ranks #7,220 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.49 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 4,458 people with the surname Hazelton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.49 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 Hazelton.
Has Hazelton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hazelton went from 4,656 recorded bearers to 4,458. That is a decrease of 198 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,181 to #7,220.
What does the Census say about the background of Hazelton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hazelton, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Hazelton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.9% (3,696 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hazelton appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.9%), Black (7.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Hazelton (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 Hazelton mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from any of the places named Hazelton in England or the United States. 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 Hazelton (1.49 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 Hazelton?
Find out how many people have the last name Hazelton on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.