2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hellon
A surname potentially derived from a place name or related to the word "hello".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Hellon. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hellon 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 Hellon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Hellon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hellon, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.6%) and Black (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hellon
The surname Hellon originated in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Old English word "helle," meaning "hill," suggesting that the name was initially given to someone who lived near or on a hill.
Early records of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Hellon," "Hellen," and "Hellun," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling during that period.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Hellon was Robert Hellon, who lived in Gloucestershire in the late 12th century. Another notable figure was William Hellon, a landowner in Yorkshire mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1166.
The name Hellon is also associated with several place names in England, such as Hellon Hill in Northumberland and Hellon Farm in Lincolnshire. These place names likely originated from the same Old English root and may have influenced the surname's development.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Hellon was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of England, including Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Durham. Some notable individuals from this period include:
1. John Hellon (c. 1350-1420), a merchant and alderman in the city of York.
2. Margaret Hellon (c. 1410-1478), a landowner in Durham who inherited substantial properties from her father.
3. Robert Hellon (c. 1480-1546), a clergyman and rector of St. Mary's Church in Newcastle upon Tyne.
As the surname spread across England, it also underwent variations in spelling, including Hellen, Hellan, and Helon. One notable individual with a variant spelling was Sir Ralph Hellen (c. 1560-1632), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for Northumberland.
By the 17th and 18th centuries, the surname Hellon had also begun to appear in parts of Scotland and Ireland, likely due to migration and intermarriage with families from northern England. One notable Scottish individual with the surname was John Hellon (c. 1670-1744), a merchant and burgess of Aberdeen.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hellon
Among Census respondents with the surname Hellon, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.6%) and Black (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hellon 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 Hellon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.0% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino8.6% · 10
- Black or African American6.9% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native6.0% · 7
- Two or more races3.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hellon
Hellon 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,538 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,871 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 10,538 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 4,871 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 Hellon 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 | #140,157 | #145,028 | -3.5% |
| Count | 119 | 116 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hellon bearers went from 119 to 116 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 4,871 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #145,028.
FAQ
Hellon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hellon?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Hellon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Hellon?
Hellon ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Hellon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hellon.
Has Hellon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hellon went from 119 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Hellon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hellon, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.6%) and Black (6.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hellon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.0% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hellon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.0%), Hispanic (8.6%), Black (6.9%). 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 Hellon (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 Hellon mean?
A surname potentially derived from a place name or related to the word "hello". 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 Hellon (0.04 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 share the surname Hellon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.