2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Header
An English surname referring to someone who harvested or gathered crops.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Header. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Header 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.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Header in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Header, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Header
The surname HEADER is believed to have originated in England in the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old English word "haeddre," which means "heather." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked in an area with heather plants.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name HEADER can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named Robert le Heather is listed. This spelling variation, "le Heather," was common in medieval times and indicates that the name was initially used as a descriptive term.
In the 13th century, the name HEADER appeared in various records across England, with spellings such as "Hedder," "Heyder," and "Heder." These variations likely reflect regional dialects and the flexibility of spelling in that era.
During the 14th century, the HEADER surname gained prominence in Yorkshire, where several prominent individuals bore the name. One notable example is John Header, a wool merchant from York who was recorded in the city's guild records in 1372.
The HEADER name also has a connection to place names. In the 16th century, there was a hamlet called Headerhey in Lancashire, which may have been named after a family with the HEADER surname.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the HEADER surname. Some examples include:
1. Thomas Header (c. 1530 - 1597), an English soldier and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Americas.
2. Elizabeth Header (1622 - 1688), a Puritan author and poet from Massachusetts Bay Colony.
3. William Header (1745 - 1821), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.
4. Henry Header (1808 - 1892), a Scottish architect best known for designing several churches and public buildings in Edinburgh.
5. Caroline Header (1869 - 1948), an American suffragist and activist who campaigned for women's right to vote in the early 20th century.
While the HEADER surname may have evolved from humble origins, it has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history, reflecting the diverse experiences and contributions of those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Header
Among Census respondents with the surname Header, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Header 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 Header surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 90
- Two or more races8.7% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Header
Header appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,122 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Up 6,122 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 Header 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 | #159,712 | #153,590 | 3.8% |
| Count | 101 | 104 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Header bearers went from 101 to 104 (+3.0% change). The surname moved up 6,122 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #153,590.
FAQ
Header surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Header?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Header. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Header?
Header ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Header. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Header.
Has Header become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Header went from 101 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 3 (+3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Header?
Among Census respondents with the surname Header, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.7%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Header in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Header appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Two or More Races (8.7%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Header (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 Header mean?
An English surname referring to someone who harvested or gathered crops. 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 Header (0.03 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 last name Header?
If you just want to know how many people are called Header, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.