2000
#1,469
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,211
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.23
Uncommon Last name
Heard
An English surname derived from a nickname for someone who was a good listener or quick to obey.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 25,856 Americans carry the last name Heard. That puts it at #1,555 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,256 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heard 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 Heard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,256
Census rank
#1,555
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,548 bearers of the surname Heard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1555th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heard, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.5%. The next largest groups are White (37.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heard
The surname Heard is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "herde" or "hierde," which means "herdsman" or "keeper of cattle." This occupation-based surname first appeared in the 12th century, as evidenced by the reference to a "William le Herde" in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166.
The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Herd" and "Herde." This important historical document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, served as a survey of landholdings across England, and its inclusion of the name suggests that it was already well-established at that time.
The name Heard was particularly prevalent in the counties of Devon, Somerset, and Gloucestershire, where many families with this surname were concentrated. It is believed that some of these families may have originated from the village of Heard in Gloucestershire, which could have contributed to the development of the surname.
One notable early bearer of the name was William Heard, a wealthy merchant from Somerset who lived in the 14th century. He was known for his involvement in the wool trade and his philanthropic contributions to the city of Bristol.
In the 16th century, the Heard family established themselves as prominent landowners in Devon. Thomas Heard (1516-1589) was a notable member of this family, serving as a Member of Parliament for Totnes and holding the prestigious position of Sheriff of Devon.
The name Heard has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history, including:
1. Sir Isaac Heard (1730-1822), a British naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Massachusetts from 1788 to 1793.
2. James Heard (1799-1875), an American businessman and politician who served as the 14th Governor of Missouri from 1857 to 1861.
3. Sir Gerald Heard (1889-1971), a British writer, philosopher, and influential figure in the human potential movement.
4. Henry Fitzwalter Heard (1858-1944), an English artist and illustrator known for his work in the Art Nouveau style.
5. John Heard (1945-2017), an American actor best known for his roles in films such as "Beaches" and "Home Alone."
While the surname Heard has its roots in England, it has since spread across the globe, with families bearing this name found in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heard
Among Census respondents with the surname Heard, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.5%. The next largest groups are White (37.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Heard 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 Heard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American53.5% · 12,060
- White37.3% · 8,415
- Two or more races5.2% · 1,171
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 712
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 105
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 85
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heard
Heard 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
#1,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,408
+1,197 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 7.94
Rank movement Down 65 places
2020
#1,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,548
-860 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 7.54
Rank movement Down 21 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,469 | 22,211 | 8.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,534 | 23,408 | 7.94 | +1,197 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 65 places |
| 2020 | #1,555 | 22,548 | 7.54 | -860 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 21 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 Heard 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 | #1,534 | #1,555 | -1.4% |
| Count | 23,408 | 22,548 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 7.94 | 7.54 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heard bearers went from 23,408 to 22,548 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 21 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,534 to #1,555.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Heard
FAQ
Heard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heard?
Name Census estimates that about 25,856 living Americans carry the surname Heard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,256 residents.
How common is Heard?
Heard ranks #1,555 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,548 people with the surname Heard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (25,856), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Heard.
Has Heard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heard went from 23,408 recorded bearers to 22,548. That is a decrease of 860 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,534 to #1,555.
What does the Census say about the background of Heard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heard, the largest self-reported group is Black at 53.5%. The next largest groups are White (37.3%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Heard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.5% (12,060 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (53.5%), White (37.3%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Heard (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 Heard mean?
An English surname derived from a nickname for someone who was a good listener or quick to obey. 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 Heard (7.54 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 Heard?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.