Hegde last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Hegde

A surname originating from the Kannada word 'hegde' meaning fence or border.

Hegde, 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 Hegde surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hegde in America

Hegde is the 30570th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hegde surname appeared 763 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Hegde.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hegde 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 30570 55609 -58.11%
Count 763 345 75.45%
Proportion per 100k 0.26 0.13 66.67%

The history of the last name Hegde

The surname HEGDE is of Indian origin, deriving from the Kannada language spoken in the southwestern region of Karnataka. It is believed to have originated during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.

The name HEGDE is thought to be derived from the Kannada word "hede," which means "fence" or "boundary." This suggests that the surname may have been initially associated with individuals who lived near or maintained boundaries or fences, potentially related to agricultural or land-related occupations.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HEGDE can be found in the inscriptions and stone carvings from the Hoysala Empire, which ruled parts of Karnataka between the 10th and 14th centuries. Several inscriptions mention individuals with the surname HEGDE, suggesting its use during that period.

In the 16th century, the HEGDE surname is documented in various administrative records and land grants issued by the Vijayanagar Empire, which controlled large parts of southern India. These records often listed landowners, officials, and influential individuals bearing the HEGDE name.

Notable individuals with the surname HEGDE throughout history include:

  1. Rani Chennamma (1778-1829), a renowned queen and warrior who led the resistance against the East India Company in the Kingdom of Kittur.
  2. V.D. Hegde (1910-1995), a prominent jurist who served as the Chief Justice of India from 1967 to 1973.
  3. K.M. Hegde (1915-2003), a renowned freedom fighter and social reformer who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement.
  4. K.M. Munshi (1887-1971), a celebrated writer, politician, and founder of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, whose original surname was HEGDE.
  5. Bhaskar Hegde (1940-2022), a renowned cardiologist and medical scientist known for his contributions to cardiac surgery and research.

The HEGDE surname has also been associated with various place names in Karnataka, such as Heggadadevanakote, Hegganahalli, and Heggaderahalli, further reinforcing its regional roots and historical significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hegde

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

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 Hegde was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 2.49% 19
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 94.50% 721
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.36% 18
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Hegde has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 2.49% 2.32% 7.07%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander 94.50% 95.65% -1.21%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.36% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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

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

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