2000
#2,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,680
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.44
Uncommon Last name
Hearn
Derived from a nickname for a person with gray hair or a gray beard, from Middle English "hare" meaning "gray-haired."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,278 Americans carry the last name Hearn. That puts it at #2,477 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,056 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hearn 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 Hearn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,056
Census rank
#2,477
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,195 bearers of the surname Hearn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2477th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hearn, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hearn
The surname Hearn is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English word "hearn" which means "heron" or "heron-like bird." It is believed to have originated as a nickname for someone who resembled a heron or had habits similar to that of a heron.
The earliest known record of the surname Hearn dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hern" and "Herne." This suggests that the name was already well-established in England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name was recorded in various spellings such as "Heyrun," "Heyroun," and "Heyron" in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire. These variations reflect the different regional dialects and scribal practices of the time.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Hearn was Sir John Hearn, a prominent landowner and knight who lived in the 14th century. He held estates in Somersetshire and Wiltshire and was known for his military service during the Hundred Years' War.
In the 16th century, the name was sometimes associated with the place name "Herne Bay" in Kent, leading to variations like "Herne" and "Herne Bay." However, the connection between the surname and the place name is not clear.
Among notable individuals with the surname Hearn, one can mention Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904), a renowned writer and translator who played a significant role in introducing Japanese literature and culture to the West. He was born on the Greek island of Lefkada and spent the latter part of his life in Japan.
Another notable figure was Thomas Hearn (1678-1735), an English philosopher and scholar who served as the second keeper of the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford. He was known for his extensive work on ancient manuscripts and his contributions to the study of English antiquities.
In the 19th century, James Hearn (1819-1901) was an Irish-born businessman and politician who immigrated to Australia and became a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council. He was also involved in the development of the Sydney suburb of Newtown.
The American baseball player Mel Hearn (1879-1947) was a notable figure in the early 20th century. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder for several teams, including the Detroit Tigers and the Chicago White Sox.
In more recent times, the British writer Lian Hearn (born in 1942) gained recognition for her bestselling historical fantasy novels set in feudal Japan, such as the "Tales of the Otori" series.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hearn
Among Census respondents with the surname Hearn, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hearn 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 Hearn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.8% · 10,334
- Black or African American18.7% · 2,658
- Two or more races4.2% · 600
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 450
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 108
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hearn
Hearn 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
#2,385
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,234
+554 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 5.16
Rank movement Down 115 places
2020
#2,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,195
-1,039 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 4.75
Rank movement Down 92 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,270 | 14,680 | 5.44 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,385 | 15,234 | 5.16 | +554 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 115 places |
| 2020 | #2,477 | 14,195 | 4.75 | -1,039 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 92 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 Hearn 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 | #2,385 | #2,477 | -3.9% |
| Count | 15,234 | 14,195 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 5.16 | 4.75 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hearn bearers went from 15,234 to 14,195 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 92 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,385 to #2,477.
FAQ
Hearn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hearn?
Name Census estimates that about 16,278 living Americans carry the surname Hearn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,056 residents.
How common is Hearn?
Hearn ranks #2,477 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,195 people with the surname Hearn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,278), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Hearn.
Has Hearn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hearn went from 15,234 recorded bearers to 14,195. That is a decrease of 1,039 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,385 to #2,477.
What does the Census say about the background of Hearn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hearn, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.7%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hearn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.8% (10,334 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hearn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.8%), Black (18.7%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Hearn (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 Hearn mean?
Derived from a nickname for a person with gray hair or a gray beard, from Middle English "hare" meaning "gray-haired." 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 Hearn (4.75 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 Hearn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.