2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hearold
A German surname derived from Harald, meaning "ruler of the army".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Hearold. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hearold 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.
Bearers in the US
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Hearold in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hearold, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hearold
The surname Hearold has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "hēr" meaning army and "eald" meaning old or venerable. This suggests the name may have been originally given to a respected veteran soldier or warrior.
One of the earliest known instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as "Heroldus" in the county of Wiltshire. This indicates the name was in use during the Norman Conquest of England in the late 11th century.
By the 13th century, the name had evolved to its more modern spelling of Hearold. Records from this time show the name was particularly prevalent in the counties of Wiltshire, Dorset, and Somerset in the southwest of England. This region was likely the ancestral homeland of many early Hearold families.
In the 14th century, a Hearold family is documented as landowners in the village of Chilton Foliat in Wiltshire. This village's name is derived from the Old English "Cyll" meaning a small stream, suggesting the Hearolds may have been originally from this area.
Notable individuals with the Hearold surname include Sir John Hearold (1512-1588), a Member of Parliament and landowner in Somerset during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was Captain William Hearold (1654-1721), a naval officer who served in the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession.
In the 18th century, Reverend Thomas Hearold (1728-1795) was a respected clergyman and author who served as the vicar of St Mary's Church in Nether Stowey, Somerset. His writings on theology and philosophy were widely read during his lifetime.
Moving into the 19th century, we find Edward Hearold (1812-1891), a successful businessman and industrialist who owned a large textile mill in Bradford, Yorkshire. He was also a philanthropist and donated generously to local causes in the city.
Finally, in the early 20th century, Margaret Hearold (1904-1982) was a pioneering aviator and one of the first women in Britain to obtain a commercial pilot's license. She set several long-distance flying records and was a vocal advocate for women's rights in aviation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hearold
Among Census respondents with the surname Hearold, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hearold 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 Hearold surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 93
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hearold
Hearold 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,585 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,427 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 14,585 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 2,427 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 Hearold 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 | #158,432 | #156,005 | 1.5% |
| Count | 102 | 99 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hearold bearers went from 102 to 99 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 2,427 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #156,005.
FAQ
Hearold surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hearold?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Hearold. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Hearold?
Hearold ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 99 people with the surname Hearold. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hearold.
Has Hearold become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hearold went from 102 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Hearold?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hearold, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Hearold in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hearold appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Hearold (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 Hearold mean?
A German surname derived from Harald, meaning "ruler of the army". 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 Hearold (0.03 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 common is the surname Hearold?
If you just want to know how common the surname Hearold is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.