2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hems
A surname derived from the Old English word for "corners" or "borders".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Hems. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hems 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 Hems with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Hems in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hems, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hems
The surname Hems is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word 'hem', which referred to a dwelling or homestead. This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who lived in a particular homestead or hamlet.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Hems can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land and property conducted by order of William the Conqueror. The name appears as 'de Hems', indicating its use as a locational surname.
In the 13th century, there are records of a family named Hems residing in the county of Oxfordshire. This includes a John de Hems, who was listed as a landowner in the village of Wheatley in 1242. The spelling of the name varied during this time, with variations such as 'Heme', 'Heyme', and 'Heams' being recorded.
During the 16th century, the surname Hems began to appear more frequently in historical records. One notable individual from this period was Sir William Hems (1520-1587), who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Shoreham in Sussex. He was also a prominent merchant and landowner.
In the 17th century, a Reverend John Hems (1642-1720) was a notable clergyman and author from Somerset. He wrote several religious works, including a commentary on the Book of Revelation.
Another notable bearer of the surname was Sir Henry Hems (1770-1849), a British military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant-General and was recognized for his bravery in battles such as Waterloo.
Throughout history, the surname Hems has also been associated with various place names, such as Hemsworth in West Yorkshire, and Hemswell in Lincolnshire. These place names likely derived from the same Old English root as the surname, further reinforcing its locational origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hems
Among Census respondents with the surname Hems, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hems 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 Hems surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 9
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hems
Hems 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-22 bearers (-17.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 29,660 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+8 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,274 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-17.2%) | Down 29,660 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 7,274 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 Hems 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 | #153,769 | #146,495 | 4.7% |
| Count | 106 | 114 | 7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hems bearers went from 106 to 114 (+7.5% change). The surname moved up 7,274 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #146,495.
FAQ
Hems surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hems?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Hems. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Hems?
Hems ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Hems. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Hems.
Has Hems become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hems went from 106 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 8 (+7.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Hems?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hems, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Hems in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hems appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (7.9%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Hems (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 Hems mean?
A surname derived from the Old English word for "corners" or "borders". 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 Hems (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 common is the surname Hems?
Find out how many people are called Hems on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.