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

Hedge, 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 Hedge surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hedge in America

Hedge is the 8641st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hedge surname appeared 3,805 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hedge.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hedge 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 Hedge

The surname HEDGE is of English origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old English word "hege," which means "hedge" or "enclosure." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a hedge or worked as a hedge-maker or hedge-keeper.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname HEDGE can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hegge." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a survey of land and property ownership in England at the time.

During the 13th century, the surname HEDGE began to appear in various records across different parts of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Gloucestershire. Some variations in spelling included Hegge, Hege, and Hedges.

In the 14th century, there are references to a John Hedge from Somerset, who was mentioned in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327. Another early bearer of the name was William Hedge, a landowner from Wiltshire, who was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of 1380.

One notable figure with the surname HEDGE was Sir Robert Hedge (1562-1629), an English merchant and Member of Parliament during the reign of King James I. He was involved in the East India Company and served as its governor from 1619 to 1622.

Another prominent individual was Levi Hedge (1766-1856), an American Baptist minister and educator from Massachusetts. He was the founder of the Theological Institution in Coventry (now known as the University of Rhode Island), where he served as the first president from 1819 to 1822.

In the literary world, Frederic Henry Hedge (1805-1890) was an American transcendentalist and scholar. He was a member of the Transcendental Club and played a significant role in introducing German philosophy and literature to American readers.

Sir Nevil Maskelyne Hedge (1835-1910) was a British astronomer and mathematician who served as the Astronomer Royal from 1888 to 1910. He made important contributions to the study of planetary motion and the determination of the solar parallax.

Lastly, Mary Hedge Kennard (1889-1976) was an American philanthropist and activist from New York. She was a prominent supporter of women's rights and education, serving as the president of the Women's City Club of New York and the National Association of Women Lawyers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hedge

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

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

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

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