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

Heath, 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 Heath surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Heath in America

Heath is the 660th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Heath surname appeared 51,877 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 18 people would have the surname Heath.

We can also compare 2010 data for Heath 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.

The history of the last name Heath

The surname "HEATH" originated in England and has its roots in Old English, where it was derived from the word "hæth," meaning a "heath" or "heathland." This name first appeared in areas where heathland was prevalent, such as the counties of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Surrey.

The name "HEATH" can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as a place name and a surname. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of William de la Heth, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1195.

During the Middle Ages, the name "HEATH" was often associated with the occupation of a heath-keeper or someone who oversaw and managed the heathlands. These areas were of great importance for grazing livestock and collecting fuel, among other uses.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as "Atte Hethe," "de la Hethe," and "del Hethe," reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time.

One notable bearer of the name was Robert Heath (1575-1649), an English lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench during the reign of Charles I.

Another prominent figure was James Heath (1629-1664), an English historian and writer who is best known for his work "A Chronicle of the Late Intestine War in the Three Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland."

Sir Robert Heath (1781-1853) was a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a colonial administrator in South Africa.

Benjamin Heath (1704-1766) was an English classical scholar and writer who is remembered for his work on revising and editing ancient Greek texts.

Mary Heath (1833-1925) was a British philanthropist and social reformer who worked to improve the living conditions of the poor and advocated for women's rights.

Throughout its history, the surname "HEATH" has been associated with various locations and place names, such as Heath Town in Staffordshire, Heath End in Buckinghamshire, and Heath in Derbyshire, among others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Heath

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

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 Heath was:

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 Heath has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Heath was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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