2000
#11,009
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,650
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.98
Rare Last name
Hemenway
Derived from a place name meaning "the road by the hemmen," referring to a path bordered by hemmen plants.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,030 Americans carry the last name Hemenway. That puts it at #11,406 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 113,120 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hemenway 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.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 113,120
Census rank
#11,406
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,642 bearers of the surname Hemenway in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11406th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hemenway, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hemenway
The surname Hemenway has its roots in medieval England, originating in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "henn" meaning "hen" and "weg" meaning "way" or "path." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a path or road frequented by hens or chickens.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hemenway name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk from 1273, where it appears as "Henneweye." This variation in spelling was common during that time, as standardized spellings were not yet established. The name also appears in various other medieval records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire in 1332 as "Hennewey."
In the 14th century, the Hemenway name was associated with several landowners and tenants in various parts of England. For instance, a John Hemenway is mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire in 1348. This suggests that the name had already gained some prominence by that time.
Throughout the centuries, the Hemenway name has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Sir John Hemenway, a knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War and was recorded as serving under King Edward III in 1346. Another notable figure was William Hemenway, a merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire, who lived in the late 15th century.
In the 17th century, the Hemenway name made its way to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances was Ralph Hemenway, who was born in England in 1610 and arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635. He later became a prominent figure in the town of Roxbury and served as a selectman.
Another notable individual was Joshua Hemenway, born in 1678 in Framingham, Massachusetts. He was a prominent farmer and landowner, and his descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of New England. One of his descendants, Daniel Hemenway, born in 1743, served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.
As the centuries passed, the Hemenway name continued to be associated with various individuals who made significant contributions in various fields. For example, Mary Hemenway, born in 1820 in Vermont, was a prominent philanthropist and advocate for women's education. She founded the Hemenway Exploration Expedition in 1886, which conducted archaeological research in the American Southwest.
In conclusion, the surname Hemenway has a rich history dating back to medieval England, with its origins suggesting a connection to paths or roads frequented by hens or chickens. Over the centuries, the name has been associated with many notable individuals in various fields, from knights and landowners to merchants, farmers, and philanthropists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hemenway
Among Census respondents with the surname Hemenway, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hemenway 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 Hemenway surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 2,380
- Two or more races4.3% · 113
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 85
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 21
- Black or African American0.8% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hemenway
Hemenway 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
#11,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,811
+161 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 239 places
2020
#11,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,642
-169 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 158 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,009 | 2,650 | 0.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,248 | 2,811 | 0.95 | +161 bearers (+6.1%) | Down 239 places |
| 2020 | #11,406 | 2,642 | 0.88 | -169 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 158 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 Hemenway 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 | #11,248 | #11,406 | -1.4% |
| Count | 2,811 | 2,642 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.88 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hemenway bearers went from 2,811 to 2,642 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 158 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,248 to #11,406.
FAQ
Hemenway surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hemenway?
Name Census estimates that about 3,030 living Americans carry the surname Hemenway. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 113,120 residents.
How common is Hemenway?
Hemenway ranks #11,406 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 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 2,642 people with the surname Hemenway. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,030), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 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 Hemenway.
Has Hemenway become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hemenway went from 2,811 recorded bearers to 2,642. That is a decrease of 169 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,248 to #11,406.
What does the Census say about the background of Hemenway?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hemenway, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Hemenway in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (2,380 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hemenway appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Hemenway (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 Hemenway mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "the road by the hemmen," referring to a path bordered by hemmen plants. 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 Hemenway (0.88 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 Hemenway?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.