Hearne last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Hearne is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hearne.

Meaning of Hearne

Derived from a place name meaning "a nook, corner, or secluded spot" in Old English.

Hearne, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hearne surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hearne in America

Hearne is the 9177th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hearne surname appeared 3,554 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hearne.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hearne to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 9177 8811 4.07%
Count 3,554 3,423 3.76%
Proportion per 100k 1.20 1.27 -5.67%

The history of the last name Hearne

The surname HEARNE is an English name derived from the Old English word 'hærn', meaning a place where hares were found. It originated in the county of Somerset, England, during the medieval period.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as 'Herne'. This ancient document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a survey of land ownership in England at the time.

In the 13th century, the name was found in various forms, such as 'Herne' and 'Hern', indicating its connection to the Old English word 'hærn'. The spelling 'Hearne' became more common in the 16th and 17th centuries.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname HEARNE was William Herne, who lived in Somerset in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Thomas Hearne, an English antiquary and scholar, born in 1678 and died in 1735, known for his works on medieval manuscripts.

The HEARNE surname has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Herne Bay in Kent and Herne Hill in London. These places likely derived their names from the Old English word 'hærn', suggesting a connection to areas where hares were abundant.

In the 17th century, the HEARNE family established itself in various parts of England, including Berkshire, Oxfordshire, and Somerset. One notable member of this family was Samuel Hearne, an English explorer and writer, born in 1745 and died in 1792, who is known for his explorations of the Canadian Arctic.

Another prominent figure with the HEARNE surname was Thomas Hearne, an English painter and engraver, born in 1744 and died in 1817, renowned for his landscape paintings and engravings depicting rural England.

While the HEARNE surname has its origins in England, it has also been found in other parts of the world, likely due to immigration and the dispersal of families over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hearne

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hearne.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hearne was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 73.94% 2,628
Non-Hispanic Black Only 21.30% 757
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.79% 28
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.25% 9
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.41% 50
Hispanic Origin 2.31% 82

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hearne has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 73.94% 76.25% -3.08%
Black 21.30% 20.33% 4.66%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.79% 0.32% 84.68%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.25% 0.29% -14.81%
Two or More Races 1.41% 1.78% -23.20%
Hispanic 2.31% 1.02% 77.48%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hearne was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hearne, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Hearne last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/hearne-surname-popularity/.

"Hearne last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/hearne-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Hearne last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/hearne-surname-popularity/.

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