2000
#9,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,994
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.11
Rare Last name
Heatherly
Originating from a place name referring to a clearing or meadow with heather plants.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,196 Americans carry the last name Heatherly. That puts it at #10,920 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heatherly 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
3.2K
1 in 107,245
Census rank
#10,920
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,787 bearers of the surname Heatherly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10920th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heatherly, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heatherly
The surname Heatherly has its roots traced back to England, originating as an old English term used to describe those who lived near heathland or uncultivated areas covered with shrubs and brushwood. The name is believed to have evolved from the Old English words "hæth" meaning "heather" and "leah" meaning "clearing" or "meadow."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named Radulfus de Hetherleia in Leicestershire. This suggests that the name was already well-established in certain regions of England by the 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various forms, including Hetherlye, Hetherly, and Hetherley, reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. The Heatherly family is known to have had strongholds in Leicestershire, Derbyshire, and Staffordshire, where they held lands and estates.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name was Sir Christopher Heatherly (1509-1570), a prominent merchant and alderman of the City of London. He served as Lord Mayor of London in 1568 and was instrumental in establishing trade links with the Netherlands.
Another significant individual was Sir Thomas Heatherly (1634-1699), a Member of Parliament for Leicestershire and a staunch supporter of the Glorious Revolution of 1688. He played a key role in securing the throne for William III and Mary II.
In the 18th century, George Heatherly (1720-1792) was a renowned landscape architect and garden designer, whose most famous work was the creation of the picturesque gardens at Stourhead in Wiltshire, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The 19th century saw the rise of William Heatherly (1811-1894), a prominent industrialist and philanthropist from Birmingham. He made a fortune in the iron and steel industry and used his wealth to establish several educational institutions and charitable foundations in the city.
Moving into the 20th century, Sir Archibald Heatherly (1892-1978) was a distinguished British diplomat who served as Ambassador to Italy during World War II and played a crucial role in negotiating the Italian surrender in 1943.
While the name Heatherly is not as common today as it once was, it remains a proud part of English heritage, with a rich history spanning centuries and encompassing individuals from various walks of life, from landowners and merchants to politicians and diplomats.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heatherly
Among Census respondents with the surname Heatherly, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Heatherly 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 Heatherly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 2,561
- Two or more races4.0% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 27
- Black or African American0.5% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heatherly
Heatherly 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
#10,701
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,987
-7 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 762 places
2020
#10,920
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,787
-200 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 219 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,939 | 2,994 | 1.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,701 | 2,987 | 1.01 | -7 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 762 places |
| 2020 | #10,920 | 2,787 | 0.93 | -200 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 219 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 Heatherly 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 | #10,701 | #10,920 | -2.0% |
| Count | 2,987 | 2,787 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.01 | 0.93 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heatherly bearers went from 2,987 to 2,787 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 219 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,701 to #10,920.
FAQ
Heatherly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heatherly?
Name Census estimates that about 3,196 living Americans carry the surname Heatherly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,245 residents.
How common is Heatherly?
Heatherly ranks #10,920 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,787 people with the surname Heatherly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,196), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Heatherly.
Has Heatherly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heatherly went from 2,987 recorded bearers to 2,787. That is a decrease of 200 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,701 to #10,920.
What does the Census say about the background of Heatherly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heatherly, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Heatherly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (2,561 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heatherly appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Heatherly (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 Heatherly mean?
Originating from a place name referring to a clearing or meadow with heather plants. 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 Heatherly (0.93 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 Americans have the surname Heatherly?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.