2000
#3,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,371
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.47
Uncommon Last name
Hedges
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a hedge or hedged enclosure.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,478 Americans carry the last name Hedges. That puts it at #3,794 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,712 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hedges 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 Hedges with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 32,712
Census rank
#3,794
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.1K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,137 bearers of the surname Hedges in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3794th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hedges, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hedges
The surname HEDGES is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "hege," which means "hedge" or "enclosure." It emerged as a toponymic surname, indicating that the original bearers of the name lived near a hedge or lived in an area surrounded by hedges.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname HEDGES can be traced back to the 13th century in various parts of England, particularly in counties such as Essex, Hertfordshire, and Kent. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 mention a John de la Hegge, while the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296 list a Walter atte Hegge.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landholdings and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, there are several references to places with names derived from the Old English word "hege," suggesting that the surname HEDGES may have emerged from these locations.
One notable individual with the surname HEDGES was Sir John Hedges (1629-1704), an English diplomat and politician who served as the Governor of the East India Company's settlements in Bengal from 1682 to 1684. He later became a member of the British Parliament, representing the constituency of Malmesbury.
Another prominent figure was Sir Charles Hedges (1693-1772), an English judge who served as a Justice of the Court of King's Bench from 1735 until his death. He was also a member of the Privy Council and played a significant role in legal affairs during the reign of King George II.
In the realm of literature, the surname HEDGES is associated with Sir Charles Hedges (1846-1926), an English writer, and journalist who authored several books on historical and literary subjects, including "Diary of Walter Yonge, Esq." and "The Rector of Veilstone."
The surname HEDGES can also be found in the United States, where many English immigrants settled in the 17th and 18th centuries. One notable American bearing this surname was Charles Hedges (1797-1865), a lawyer and politician from Maine who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1835 to 1837.
Another American with the surname HEDGES was Cornelius Hedges (1808-1889), a lawyer and politician from Montana who served as a member of the Montana Territorial Legislature in the 1860s and later became a District Judge.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hedges
Among Census respondents with the surname Hedges, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hedges 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 Hedges surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 8,169
- Two or more races3.9% · 355
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 274
- Black or African American2.3% · 214
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hedges
Hedges 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
#3,690
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,625
+254 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 3.26
Rank movement Down 201 places
2020
#3,794
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,137
-488 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 3.06
Rank movement Down 104 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,489 | 9,371 | 3.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,690 | 9,625 | 3.26 | +254 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 201 places |
| 2020 | #3,794 | 9,137 | 3.06 | -488 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 104 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 Hedges 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 | #3,690 | #3,794 | -2.8% |
| Count | 9,625 | 9,137 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.26 | 3.06 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hedges bearers went from 9,625 to 9,137 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 104 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,690 to #3,794.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hedges
FAQ
Hedges surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hedges?
Name Census estimates that about 10,478 living Americans carry the surname Hedges. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,712 residents.
How common is Hedges?
Hedges ranks #3,794 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,137 people with the surname Hedges. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,478), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Hedges.
Has Hedges become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hedges went from 9,625 recorded bearers to 9,137. That is a decrease of 488 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,690 to #3,794.
What does the Census say about the background of Hedges?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hedges, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Hedges in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (8,169 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hedges appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Hedges (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 Hedges mean?
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a hedge or hedged enclosure. 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 Hedges (3.06 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 surname Hedges?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.