Hembree last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Hembree

Habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "high tree" in Old English, likely referring to a tall tree.

Hembree, 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 Hembree surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hembree in America

Hembree is the 5232nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hembree surname appeared 6,665 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Hembree.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hembree 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 5232 4880 6.96%
Count 6,665 6,603 0.93%
Proportion per 100k 2.26 2.45 -8.07%

The history of the last name Hembree

The surname Hembree is believed to have originated in England, with its roots traced back to the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "hām," meaning "home," and "byre," referring to a cattle shed or barn. This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals who lived near or worked at a homestead with a barn or cattle shed.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hembree surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Shropshire, a historical record from the late 12th century, where the name appeared as "Hembri." This indicates that the name was present in the region during that time period.

In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as "Hembri," "Hembyr," and "Hembury," suggesting potential connections to place names or locations with similar spellings. The parish of Hembury in Devonshire, for example, may have contributed to the development of this surname.

Notable individuals bearing the Hembree surname throughout history include:

  1. Sir John Hembree (c. 1450-1518), an English knight and landowner from Gloucestershire.
  2. William Hembree (c. 1570-1635), a prominent merchant and trader based in Bristol, England.
  3. Elizabeth Hembree (1602-1672), an English midwife and healer renowned for her expertise in herbal remedies.
  4. Thomas Hembree (1725-1803), a British soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War.
  5. Margaret Hembree (1810-1892), an English author and poet known for her romantic verse.

While the Hembree surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through emigration during the colonial era and later periods of migration. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in England, where it was likely associated with individuals living near or working at homesteads with barns or cattle sheds.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hembree

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

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 Hembree was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.03% 6,267
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.75% 50
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.53% 35
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.02% 68
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.12% 141
Hispanic Origin 1.56% 104

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.03% 95.44% -1.49%
Black 0.75% 0.65% 14.29%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.53% 0.44% 18.56%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.02% 1.00% 1.98%
Two or More Races 2.12% 1.41% 40.23%
Hispanic 1.56% 1.06% 38.17%

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

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

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Hembree last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/hembree-surname-popularity/.

"Hembree last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/hembree-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Hembree last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/hembree-surname-popularity/.

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