2000
#4,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,057
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.62
Uncommon Last name
He
A Chinese surname meaning "river," "riverbank," "estuary," or referring to someone living near a river.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 30,603 Americans carry the last name He. That puts it at #1,286 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,200 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the He 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 He with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
31K
1 in 11,200
Census rank
#1,286
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
27K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,687 bearers of the surname He in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1286th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname He, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Black (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of He
The surname "He" is believed to have originated in China, where it is one of the most common surnames. It dates back to ancient times, with records of people bearing this name dating as far back as the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BC).
The name is thought to have derived from the Chinese character "何" (hé), which can be translated as "what" or "how". This character was likely used as a surname for individuals who were uncertain of their ancestry or family lineage.
In ancient China, surnames were often derived from place names, occupations, or personal characteristics. The surname "He" may have been given to people who lived in or near a place with a name derived from the character "何".
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname "He" can be found in the "Book of Documents" (Shujing), an ancient Chinese classic text compiled around the 6th century BC. The book mentions a person named "He Yu", who was a statesman and official during the Xia Dynasty (c. 2070-1600 BC).
Another notable figure in Chinese history with the surname "He" was He Xiu (129-182 AD), a renowned scholar and calligrapher during the Eastern Han Dynasty. He is credited with developing the "cursive script" style of Chinese calligraphy.
During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), the surname "He" was particularly prominent in the region of Shandong province. One famous individual from this period was He Zhizhang (659-744 AD), a celebrated poet and official who served under several Tang emperors.
In later Chinese history, the surname "He" continued to be widespread and associated with numerous scholars, officials, and literary figures. For example, He Qiaoyuan (1809-1888) was a notable Qing Dynasty scholar and poet who wrote extensively on classical Chinese literature.
While the surname "He" has its origins in China, it has also spread to other parts of the world through immigration and cultural exchange. However, its deepest roots and historical significance can be traced back to its Chinese heritage spanning thousands of years.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for He
Among Census respondents with the surname He, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Black (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how He 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 He surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.7% · 25,530
- White2.7% · 709
- Black or African American0.7% · 195
- Two or more races0.5% · 126
- Hispanic or Latino0.5% · 121
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for He
He 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
#2,373
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,363
+8,306 bearers (+117.7%)
Per 100,000 5.21
Rank movement Up 2,227 places
2020
#1,286
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,687
+11,324 bearers (+73.7%)
Per 100,000 8.93
Rank movement Up 1,087 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,600 | 7,057 | 2.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,373 | 15,363 | 5.21 | +8,306 bearers (+117.7%) | Up 2,227 places |
| 2020 | #1,286 | 26,687 | 8.93 | +11,324 bearers (+73.7%) | Up 1,087 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 He 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 | #2,373 | #1,286 | 45.8% |
| Count | 15,363 | 26,687 | 73.7% |
| Per 100K | 5.21 | 8.93 | 71.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of He bearers went from 15,363 to 26,687 (+73.7% change). The surname moved up 1,087 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,373 to #1,286.
FAQ
He surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname He?
Name Census estimates that about 30,603 living Americans carry the surname He. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,200 residents.
How common is He?
He ranks #1,286 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,687 people with the surname He. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (30,603), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname He.
Has He become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname He went from 15,363 recorded bearers to 26,687. That is an increase of 11,324 (+73.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,373 to #1,286.
What does the Census say about the background of He?
Among Census respondents with the surname He, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (2.7%) and Black (0.7%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname He in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (25,530 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
He appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.7%), White (2.7%), Black (0.7%). 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 He (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 He mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "river," "riverbank," "estuary," or referring to someone living near a river. 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 He (8.93 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 He?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname He on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.