2000
#1,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,218
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.09
Uncommon Last name
Head
An English occupational surname referring to someone who was the head of a group or community.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 29,816 Americans carry the last name Head. That puts it at #1,329 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,496 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Head 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 Head with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
30K
1 in 11,496
Census rank
#1,329
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
26K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,001 bearers of the surname Head in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1329th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Head, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Head
The surname Head is an English name that originated as a topographic name for someone who lived at the head or source of a stream or river, or at the end of a valley, hill or clearing. It is derived from the Old English word 'heafod', which means head.
Head is an ancient surname that can be traced back to the 12th century. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1191, where a Simon atte Heade is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also list a Robert atte Hede in Oxfordshire.
The surname Head is found in various early records and manuscripts, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1296, which mention a William Heed. The Huntingdonshire Feet of Fines from 1304 also list a Robert del Hede.
The Domesday Book, a great survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Head. However, it does mention several places with names that could have given rise to the surname, such as Hedborough in Nottinghamshire and Headon in Lincolnshire.
Some notable individuals with the surname Head throughout history include:
1. Sir Francis Head (1793-1875), a British army officer and author who served as Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1835 to 1838.
2. Berten A. Head (1835-1901), an American soldier and politician who served as a Confederate general during the American Civil War.
3. Edith Head (1897-1981), an American costume designer who won a record eight Academy Awards for Best Costume Design.
4. Howard Head (1914-1991), an American inventor and entrepreneur who founded the Head Ski Company and revolutionized the design of skis and tennis rackets.
5. Murray Head (born 1946), an English actor and singer best known for his role as Bob Benson in the film "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and for recording the hit song "One Night in Bangkok" from the musical "Chess".
The surname Head has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Headley in Hampshire, Headington in Oxfordshire, and Headcorn in Kent, reflecting its topographic origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Head
Among Census respondents with the surname Head, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Head 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 Head surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.6% · 19,649
- Black or African American16.1% · 4,193
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,049
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 714
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 222
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 174
Timeline
Historical Census data for Head
Head 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
#1,285
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,292
+74 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 9.25
Rank movement Down 105 places
2020
#1,329
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,001
-1,291 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 8.70
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,180 | 27,218 | 10.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,285 | 27,292 | 9.25 | +74 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 105 places |
| 2020 | #1,329 | 26,001 | 8.70 | -1,291 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 44 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 Head 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 | #1,285 | #1,329 | -3.4% |
| Count | 27,292 | 26,001 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 9.25 | 8.70 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Head bearers went from 27,292 to 26,001 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,285 to #1,329.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Head
FAQ
Head surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Head?
Name Census estimates that about 29,816 living Americans carry the surname Head. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,496 residents.
How common is Head?
Head ranks #1,329 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.70 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 26,001 people with the surname Head. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (29,816), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.70 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 Head.
Has Head become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Head went from 27,292 recorded bearers to 26,001. That is a decrease of 1,291 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,285 to #1,329.
What does the Census say about the background of Head?
Among Census respondents with the surname Head, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Head in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.6% (19,649 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Head appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.6%), Black (16.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Head (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 Head mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who was the head of a group or community. 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 Head (8.70 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 Head?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.