2000
#13,245
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Heasley
From the Old English "hæsel" meaning hazel, combined with "leah" meaning wood or clearing, referring to someone living near hazel trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,343 Americans carry the last name Heasley. That puts it at #14,115 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 146,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heasley 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 Heasley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 146,289
Census rank
#14,115
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,043 bearers of the surname Heasley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14115th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heasley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heasley
The surname Heasley is of English origin, derived from a place name. It is believed to have originated in the county of Cheshire, England, during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
The name Heasley is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a place called Heasley or Heasley Green, a small hamlet in the parish of Gawsworth, Cheshire. The name is likely derived from the Old English words "heah" meaning high, and "leah" meaning a meadow or clearing in a forest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Heasley can be found in the Cheshire County Records of the 14th century, where a Thomas de Heselegh is mentioned. This spelling variation suggests that the name evolved from its original form over time.
In the 16th century, the Heasley surname appears in various records, such as the Wills and Inventories of Cheshire, where a John Heasley is mentioned in 1586. The name also appears in the Parish Registers of Gawsworth, Cheshire, with the baptism of a Mary Heasley recorded in 1602.
One notable individual with the Heasley surname was Nathaniel Heasley (1707-1784), an English clergyman and author from Cheshire. He was educated at Oxford University and served as the vicar of Wilmslow, Cheshire, from 1745 until his death.
Another notable figure was John Heasley (1767-1848), a British naval officer who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He saw action in several battles, including the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
In the 19th century, the Heasley surname can be found in various records from the county of Cheshire, as well as in neighboring counties such as Lancashire and Yorkshire, indicating that the family had spread beyond its original location.
A prominent individual from this period was William Heasley (1829-1904), an English industrialist and philanthropist from Cheshire. He made his fortune in the textile industry and was known for his charitable works, including the establishment of the Heasley Institute in Macclesfield, a technical college for workers.
In the 20th century, one notable individual with the Heasley surname was Alfred Heasley (1908-1981), a British artist and illustrator from Yorkshire. He was best known for his illustrations in children's books and his work for the Royal Mail.
Throughout its history, the Heasley surname has maintained a strong presence in the counties of Cheshire, Lancashire, and Yorkshire, reflecting its English origins and the migration patterns of families bearing this name over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heasley
Among Census respondents with the surname Heasley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Heasley 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 Heasley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 1,895
- Two or more races3.6% · 73
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 42
- Black or African American1.2% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heasley
Heasley 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
#14,046
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,144
+31 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 801 places
2020
#14,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,043
-101 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 69 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,245 | 2,113 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,046 | 2,144 | 0.73 | +31 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 801 places |
| 2020 | #14,115 | 2,043 | 0.68 | -101 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 69 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 Heasley 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 | #14,046 | #14,115 | -0.5% |
| Count | 2,144 | 2,043 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.68 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heasley bearers went from 2,144 to 2,043 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 69 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,046 to #14,115.
FAQ
Heasley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heasley?
Name Census estimates that about 2,343 living Americans carry the surname Heasley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 146,289 residents.
How common is Heasley?
Heasley ranks #14,115 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,043 people with the surname Heasley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,343), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Heasley.
Has Heasley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heasley went from 2,144 recorded bearers to 2,043. That is a decrease of 101 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,046 to #14,115.
What does the Census say about the background of Heasley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heasley, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Heasley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (1,895 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heasley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Heasley (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 Heasley mean?
From the Old English "hæsel" meaning hazel, combined with "leah" meaning wood or clearing, referring to someone living near hazel trees. 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 Heasley (0.68 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 Heasley?
You can see how common the surname Heasley is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.