2000
#2,424
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,700
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.08
Uncommon Last name
Heaton
From a place name meaning "high town" or "town on a hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,911 Americans carry the last name Heaton. That puts it at #2,707 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,987 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heaton 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 Heaton with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,987
Census rank
#2,707
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,003 bearers of the surname Heaton in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2707th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heaton, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heaton
The surname Heaton originates from England and can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon era, where it was derived from the Old English words "hēa" meaning "high" and "tūn" meaning "enclosure" or "settlement". It is believed to have been a locational name, referring to someone who lived in or came from a high or elevated town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Heaton appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and property holders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Hetun", referring to a settlement in the county of Lancashire.
During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, such as Heton, Heyton, and Heytown, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling at the time. The name was also associated with several place names, including Heaton Norris in Cheshire, Heaton Moor in Greater Manchester, and Heaton in Newcastle upon Tyne.
One notable individual with the surname Heaton was John Heaton (1497-1573), an English Catholic priest who served as the Archbishop of York from 1555 to 1573. He played a significant role in the Catholic Reformation during the reign of Queen Mary I.
Another prominent figure was Sir Benjamin Heaton (1808-1876), a British industrialist and philanthropist who made his fortune in the textile industry. He was a prominent supporter of education and was involved in the establishment of several schools and colleges.
In the literary world, James Heaton (1809-1876) was a notable English poet and writer. He is best known for his collection of poems titled "Lays of the Loom", which depicted the lives and struggles of textile workers in Lancashire.
Mary Heaton Vorse (1874-1966) was an American writer and journalist known for her works on labor issues and social justice. She was a prominent figure in the literary scene during the early 20th century and was a co-founder of the Provincetown Players, a renowned theater group.
Finally, Sir John Heaton (1899-1967) was a British civil servant and diplomat who served as the Governor of Cyprus from 1956 to 1957, during a turbulent period of the island's history when it was transitioning from British rule to independence.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Heaton, which has its roots in the Anglo-Saxon era and has been associated with various place names and settlements across England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heaton
Among Census respondents with the surname Heaton, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Heaton 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 Heaton surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 11,948
- Two or more races3.3% · 434
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 424
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 79
- Black or African American0.5% · 63
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 55
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heaton
Heaton 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
#2,606
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,834
+134 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 4.69
Rank movement Down 182 places
2020
#2,707
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,003
-831 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 4.35
Rank movement Down 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,424 | 13,700 | 5.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,606 | 13,834 | 4.69 | +134 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 182 places |
| 2020 | #2,707 | 13,003 | 4.35 | -831 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 101 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 Heaton 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 | #2,606 | #2,707 | -3.9% |
| Count | 13,834 | 13,003 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 4.69 | 4.35 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heaton bearers went from 13,834 to 13,003 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,606 to #2,707.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Heaton
FAQ
Heaton surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heaton?
Name Census estimates that about 14,911 living Americans carry the surname Heaton. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,987 residents.
How common is Heaton?
Heaton ranks #2,707 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,003 people with the surname Heaton. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,911), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Heaton.
Has Heaton become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heaton went from 13,834 recorded bearers to 13,003. That is a decrease of 831 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,606 to #2,707.
What does the Census say about the background of Heaton?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heaton, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Heaton in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (11,948 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heaton 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 (3.3%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Heaton (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 Heaton mean?
From a place name meaning "high town" or "town on a hill" in Old English. 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 Heaton (4.35 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 are called Heaton?
See how many people are called Heaton on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.