2000
#9,595
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Hegarty
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó hÉigeartuigh," meaning "descendant of Éigeartach," a personal name of uncertain meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,757 Americans carry the last name Hegarty. That puts it at #9,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,231 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hegarty 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 Hegarty with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 91,231
Census rank
#9,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,276 bearers of the surname Hegarty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hegarty, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hegarty
The surname Hegarty originates from Ireland and has its roots in the ancient Gaelic language. It is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic name Ó hEigeartagáin, which means "descendant of Eigeartagán." The name Eigeartagán itself is derived from the Gaelic words "eigear" meaning "contention" and "tog" meaning "to kindle or excite."
Hegarty is a relatively common surname found primarily in County Cork and County Kerry, located in the southwestern region of Ireland. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 16th century, although it is likely that the name existed in various spellings and forms before that time.
One of the earliest known references to the name Hegarty can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of Irish history compiled in the early 17th century. The annals mention several individuals with the surname, including Donal Hegarty, a prominent figure in the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s.
In the late 17th century, during the period of the Williamite War in Ireland, a notable bearer of the name was Donough Hegarty, a Catholic priest who served as a chaplain in the Jacobite army. He was captured and executed by the Williamite forces in 1691.
Another historically significant figure with the surname Hegarty was William Hegarty (1789-1857), an Irish Catholic priest and historian. He authored several works on Irish history and was a prominent figure in the Irish cultural revival movement of the 19th century.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Hegarty was Cornelius Hegarty (1909-1977), an Irish playwright and novelist. His works often explored themes of Irish identity and the struggles of the working class.
Additionally, John Hegarty (born 1944) is a well-known British advertising executive and co-founder of the advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH). He has been recognized for his innovative and influential work in the advertising industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hegarty
Among Census respondents with the surname Hegarty, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hegarty 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 Hegarty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 3,034
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 137
- Two or more races2.0% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
- Black or African American0.5% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hegarty
Hegarty 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
#9,672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,355
+246 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 77 places
2020
#9,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,276
-79 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Up 177 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,595 | 3,109 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,672 | 3,355 | 1.14 | +246 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 77 places |
| 2020 | #9,495 | 3,276 | 1.10 | -79 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 177 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 Hegarty 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 | #9,672 | #9,495 | 1.8% |
| Count | 3,355 | 3,276 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.10 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hegarty bearers went from 3,355 to 3,276 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 177 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,672 to #9,495.
FAQ
Hegarty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hegarty?
Name Census estimates that about 3,757 living Americans carry the surname Hegarty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,231 residents.
How common is Hegarty?
Hegarty ranks #9,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 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 3,276 people with the surname Hegarty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,757), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 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 Hegarty.
Has Hegarty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hegarty went from 3,355 recorded bearers to 3,276. That is a decrease of 79 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,672 to #9,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Hegarty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hegarty, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Hegarty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (3,034 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hegarty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Hegarty (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 Hegarty mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó hÉigeartuigh," meaning "descendant of Éigeartach," a personal name of uncertain meaning. 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 Hegarty (1.10 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 Hegarty?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.