2000
#8,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,445
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.28
Rare Last name
Heald
An English occupational surname referring to a person who made or repaired items using a forge or furnace.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,789 Americans carry the last name Heald. That puts it at #9,427 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,460 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heald 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 Heald with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 90,460
Census rank
#9,427
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,304 bearers of the surname Heald in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9427th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heald, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heald
The surname HEALD is of Anglo-Saxon origin, primarily found in England. It is derived from the Old English word "heald," which means "bent or inclined." This name likely originated as a topographic name referring to someone who lived on or near a slope or hill.
The earliest recorded instances of the HEALD surname can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Healde" and "Heald." These entries suggest that the name was already well-established in various parts of England by the time of the Norman Conquest.
During the medieval period, the HEALD surname was particularly prevalent in Yorkshire and Lancashire. One notable bearer of this name was John Heald, a 14th-century landowner from Yorkshire, who was mentioned in various legal records of the time.
In the 16th century, the HEALD surname appeared in the Subsidy Rolls for Lancashire, indicating that the family had spread across the region. One prominent individual was William Heald, a merchant from Manchester born in 1542, who played a significant role in the city's textile trade.
As the centuries progressed, the HEALD surname continued to spread across England and beyond. Reverend Benjamin Heald, born in 1665 in Lincolnshire, was a notable clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
In the 18th century, the HEALD family had established a presence in the American colonies. Nathaniel Heald, born in 1729 in Massachusetts, served as a captain in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
The 19th century saw the rise of several prominent individuals with the HEALD surname. Thomas Heald, born in 1816 in Yorkshire, was a successful industrialist and entrepreneur who played a significant role in the development of the textile industry in Manchester.
Another notable figure was Sir Lionel Heald, born in 1859 in Lancashire, who was a prominent lawyer and judge. He served as the Lord Justice of Appeal and was knighted for his contributions to the legal profession.
Throughout history, the HEALD surname has been associated with various places and locations, including Heald Moor in West Yorkshire, Heald Green in Greater Manchester, and Heald Town in Cheshire, all of which likely derived their names from the surname itself or its Old English root.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heald
Among Census respondents with the surname Heald, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Heald 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 Heald surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 2,979
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 140
- Two or more races3.8% · 124
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 24
- Black or African American0.4% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heald
Heald 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
#9,291
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,503
+58 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 522 places
2020
#9,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,304
-199 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 136 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,769 | 3,445 | 1.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,291 | 3,503 | 1.19 | +58 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 522 places |
| 2020 | #9,427 | 3,304 | 1.11 | -199 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 136 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 Heald 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 | #9,291 | #9,427 | -1.5% |
| Count | 3,503 | 3,304 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 1.11 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heald bearers went from 3,503 to 3,304 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 136 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,291 to #9,427.
FAQ
Heald surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heald?
Name Census estimates that about 3,789 living Americans carry the surname Heald. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,460 residents.
How common is Heald?
Heald ranks #9,427 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 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 3,304 people with the surname Heald. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,789), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 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 Heald.
Has Heald become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heald went from 3,503 recorded bearers to 3,304. That is a decrease of 199 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,291 to #9,427.
What does the Census say about the background of Heald?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heald, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Heald in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (2,979 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heald appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Heald (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 Heald mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who made or repaired items using a forge or furnace. 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 Heald (1.11 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 Americans have the surname Heald?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.