2000
#55,609
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 345
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Rare Last name
Hegde
A surname originating from the Kannada word 'hegde' meaning fence or border.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,944 Americans carry the last name Hegde. That puts it at #16,454 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 176,314 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hegde 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 Hegde with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.9K
1 in 176,314
Census rank
#16,454
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,695 bearers of the surname Hegde in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 16454th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hegde, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hegde
Among Census respondents with the surname Hegde, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hegde 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 Hegde surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.3% · 1,616
- White1.9% · 33
- Two or more races1.9% · 33
- Black or African American0.6% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hegde
Hegde 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
#30,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 763
+418 bearers (+121.2%)
Per 100,000 0.26
Rank movement Up 25,039 places
2020
#16,454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,695
+932 bearers (+122.1%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Up 14,116 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #55,609 | 345 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #30,570 | 763 | 0.26 | +418 bearers (+121.2%) | Up 25,039 places |
| 2020 | #16,454 | 1,695 | 0.57 | +932 bearers (+122.1%) | Up 14,116 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 Hegde 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 | #30,570 | #16,454 | 46.2% |
| Count | 763 | 1,695 | 122.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.26 | 0.57 | 118.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hegde bearers went from 763 to 1,695 (+122.1% change). The surname moved up 14,116 positions in the national ranking, going from #30,570 to #16,454.
FAQ
Hegde surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hegde?
Name Census estimates that about 1,944 living Americans carry the surname Hegde. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 176,314 residents.
How common is Hegde?
Hegde ranks #16,454 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.57 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 1,695 people with the surname Hegde. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,944), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.57 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 Hegde.
Has Hegde become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hegde went from 763 recorded bearers to 1,695. That is an increase of 932 (+122.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #30,570 to #16,454.
What does the Census say about the background of Hegde?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hegde, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.3%. The next largest groups are White (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hegde in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (1,616 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hegde appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (95.3%), White (1.9%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Hegde (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 Hegde mean?
A surname originating from the Kannada word 'hegde' meaning fence or border. 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 Hegde (0.57 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 common is the surname Hegde?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Hegde on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.