2000
#12,456
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,286
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Hebb
An English occupational surname referring to a person who used a plow-like tool for tilling or weeding.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,110 Americans carry the last name Hebb. That puts it at #15,355 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,443 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hebb 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 Hebb with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 162,443
Census rank
#15,355
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,840 bearers of the surname Hebb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15355th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hebb, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hebb
The surname HEBB originated in England in the early medieval period. It likely derived from the Old English word "heb" or "hæbb", meaning "hedge" or "enclosure". This suggests the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a hedge or enclosure, or perhaps an occupation related to maintaining hedges or enclosures.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HEBB appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests the name was already established by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name HEBB was primarily found in the southern and central regions of England, particularly in counties like Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire. Some early variations of the spelling included Hebbe, Hebe, and Hebbe.
Records from the 13th century mention a John Hebb who held land in the village of Broad Hinton, Wiltshire. Another notable figure was William Hebb, a merchant from Bristol who lived in the late 14th century and was involved in trade with France and Spain.
In the 16th century, the name HEBB appeared in various records associated with the town of Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, which was once an important market town. This suggests the name may have been tied to the wool or cloth trade in that region.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname HEBB was Richard Hebb, born in 1565 in the village of Lyford, Berkshire. He was a farmer and landowner, and his descendants continued to live in the Berkshire area for several generations.
Another notable figure was Thomas Hebb, born in 1619 in Wiltshire. He was a member of the Parliamentarian forces during the English Civil War and fought in several battles against the Royalists.
In the 18th century, a prominent member of the HEBB family was John Hebb, born in 1702 in Gloucestershire. He was a successful merchant and landowner, and his estate near Cheltenham became a prosperous country residence.
As the HEBB surname spread throughout England over the centuries, it also found its way to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to North America and other regions through emigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hebb
Among Census respondents with the surname Hebb, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hebb 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 Hebb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.7% · 1,503
- Black or African American9.7% · 178
- Two or more races4.9% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hebb
Hebb 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
#13,874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,177
-109 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 1,418 places
2020
#15,355
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,840
-337 bearers (-15.5%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 1,481 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,456 | 2,286 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,874 | 2,177 | 0.74 | -109 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 1,418 places |
| 2020 | #15,355 | 1,840 | 0.62 | -337 bearers (-15.5%) | Down 1,481 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 Hebb 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 | #13,874 | #15,355 | -10.7% |
| Count | 2,177 | 1,840 | -15.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.62 | -16.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hebb bearers went from 2,177 to 1,840 (-15.5% change). The surname moved down 1,481 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,874 to #15,355.
FAQ
Hebb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hebb?
Name Census estimates that about 2,110 living Americans carry the surname Hebb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,443 residents.
How common is Hebb?
Hebb ranks #15,355 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,840 people with the surname Hebb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Hebb.
Has Hebb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hebb went from 2,177 recorded bearers to 1,840. That is a decrease of 337 (-15.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,874 to #15,355.
What does the Census say about the background of Hebb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hebb, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.7%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Hebb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.7% (1,503 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hebb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.7%), Black (9.7%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Hebb (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 Hebb mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who used a plow-like tool for tilling or weeding. 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 Hebb (0.62 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 last name Hebb?
You can see how many people are called Hebb on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.