2000
#15,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,720
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Heap
A surname derived from the Old English word "heap" referring to a hill or mound.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,963 Americans carry the last name Heap. That puts it at #16,318 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 174,607 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heap 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 Heap with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.0K
1 in 174,607
Census rank
#16,318
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,712 bearers of the surname Heap in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16318th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heap, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heap
The surname Heap is of English origin and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "heap," which referred to a pile or mound. This could suggest that the name may have initially been a topographic name given to someone who lived near a prominent hill or mound.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a record of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several references to places named "Heap" or variations of the word, indicating the surname's early presence in the country. One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname itself is found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1170, where a person named Willelmus de la Hepe is mentioned.
The surname Heap has also been associated with certain place names, such as Heapey in Lancashire, which was recorded as "Hepey" in the 13th century. This village may have been named after an early bearer of the surname or vice versa.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Heap include William Heap (1675-1744), an English goldsmith and banker who served as the Master of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in London. Another prominent figure was Sir Andrew Heap (1839-1918), a British industrialist and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of the cotton industry in Lancashire.
In the realm of literature, the surname Heap is associated with the English poet and novelist Jane Heap (1766-1842), whose works included the novel "St. Katharine's Monastery" and several volumes of poetry. Additionally, Gwynne Heap (1884-1964) was a Welsh actor and playwright known for his contributions to the theater in the early 20th century.
Moving across the Atlantic, one notable bearer of the surname was David Heap (1737-1824), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Ohio. He played a crucial role in the establishment of the state's Western Reserve region.
Throughout history, the surname Heap has been present in various parts of England and beyond, with its origins rooted in the Old English language and potentially linked to geographic features or place names. It has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including craftsmen, industrialists, artists, and pioneers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heap
Among Census respondents with the surname Heap, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Heap 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 Heap surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 1,542
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 62
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 49
- Two or more races2.6% · 45
- Black or African American0.8% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heap
Heap 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
#15,402
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,903
+183 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 196 places
2020
#16,318
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,712
-191 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Down 916 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,598 | 1,720 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,402 | 1,903 | 0.65 | +183 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 196 places |
| 2020 | #16,318 | 1,712 | 0.57 | -191 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 916 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 Heap 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 | #15,402 | #16,318 | -5.9% |
| Count | 1,903 | 1,712 | -10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.57 | -11.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heap bearers went from 1,903 to 1,712 (-10.0% change). The surname moved down 916 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,402 to #16,318.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Heap
FAQ
Heap surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heap?
Name Census estimates that about 1,963 living Americans carry the surname Heap. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 174,607 residents.
How common is Heap?
Heap ranks #16,318 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.57 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 1,712 people with the surname Heap. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,963), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.57 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 Heap.
Has Heap become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heap went from 1,903 recorded bearers to 1,712. That is a decrease of 191 (-10.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,402 to #16,318.
What does the Census say about the background of Heap?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heap, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Heap in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (1,542 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heap appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (3.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%). 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 Heap (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 Heap mean?
A surname derived from the Old English word "heap" referring to a hill or mound. 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 Heap (0.57 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 Heap?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.