2000
#21,934
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.41
Rare Last name
Heart
An English surname derived from the medieval nickname meaning valiant or courageous.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,471 Americans carry the last name Heart. That puts it at #20,854 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 233,008 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heart 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 Heart with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 233,008
Census rank
#20,854
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,283 bearers of the surname Heart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 20854th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heart, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.6%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (7.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heart
The surname Heart is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "heorte," which means "heart." This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for a kind or loving person, or perhaps someone with a prominent heart-shaped birthmark.
The earliest known record of the Heart surname dates back to the 13th century in the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is believed that the name may have originated in the village of Heart, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Herte."
One of the earliest known bearers of the Heart surname was Sir John Heart, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years' War. His descendants continued to use the surname and can be traced through various historical records.
In the 16th century, the Heart family had established themselves in the county of Berkshire, where they owned land and properties. Notable members of this branch include William Heart (1524-1592), a prominent merchant and landowner, and his son, Thomas Heart (1559-1628), who served as a member of Parliament.
The Heart surname also has a connection to the town of Hartlepool in County Durham, England. The town's name is derived from the Old English "hort," meaning "hart" or "deer," and "pool," meaning "pool" or "creek." This suggests that some Heart families may have originated from this area or had ancestors associated with it.
Other notable figures with the Heart surname include:
1. Benjamin Heart (1678-1741), an English clergyman and author.
2. Mary Heart (1763-1843), a British philanthropist and social reformer.
3. Sir George Heart (1820-1892), a British diplomat and colonial administrator.
4. William Heart (1871-1946), an American businessman and philanthropist.
5. Dorothy Heart (1904-1988), a British novelist and playwright.
The Heart surname has undergone various spellings over the centuries, including Harte, Hert, and Harte, reflecting the evolving pronunciation and regional variations in English language and dialects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heart
Among Census respondents with the surname Heart, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.6%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (7.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Heart 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 Heart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.6% · 726
- Black or African American21.7% · 279
- American Indian and Alaska Native7.0% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 84
- Two or more races5.6% · 72
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heart
Heart 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
#20,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,313
+210 bearers (+19.0%)
Per 100,000 0.45
Rank movement Up 1,671 places
2020
#20,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,283
-30 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Down 591 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,934 | 1,103 | 0.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,263 | 1,313 | 0.45 | +210 bearers (+19.0%) | Up 1,671 places |
| 2020 | #20,854 | 1,283 | 0.43 | -30 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 591 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 Heart 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 | #20,263 | #20,854 | -2.9% |
| Count | 1,313 | 1,283 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.45 | 0.43 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heart bearers went from 1,313 to 1,283 (-2.3% change). The surname moved down 591 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,263 to #20,854.
FAQ
Heart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heart?
Name Census estimates that about 1,471 living Americans carry the surname Heart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 233,008 residents.
How common is Heart?
Heart ranks #20,854 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.43 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 1,283 people with the surname Heart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,471), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.43 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 Heart.
Has Heart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heart went from 1,313 recorded bearers to 1,283. That is a decrease of 30 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #20,263 to #20,854.
What does the Census say about the background of Heart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heart, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.6%. The next largest groups are Black (21.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (7.0%). 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 Heart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.6% (726 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.6%), Black (21.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (7.0%). 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 Heart (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 Heart mean?
An English surname derived from the medieval nickname meaning valiant or courageous. 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 Heart (0.43 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 Heart?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.