2000
#15,980
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,669
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.62
Rare Last name
Henao
A Basque habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Enao in Vizcaya province, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,080 Americans carry the last name Henao. That puts it at #11,250 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,284 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Henao 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
3.1K
1 in 111,284
Census rank
#11,250
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,686 bearers of the surname Henao in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11250th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Henao, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Henao
The surname Henao is of Spanish origin and is thought to have emerged in the 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the place name Heno, which is a municipality located in the province of Guadalajara, Spain. The name Heno itself is thought to have evolved from the Latin word "faenum," meaning hay or fodder.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Henao can be found in the Spanish Inquisition records from the late 15th century. During this time, a certain Juan Henao was mentioned as a resident of the town of Heno. It is likely that the surname was originally used to identify individuals who hailed from this particular town or region.
In the 16th century, the surname Henao began to appear in other historical documents across Spain. For instance, the renowned Spanish poet and playwright, Lope de Vega (1562-1635), made references to individuals with the surname Henao in some of his literary works.
As the centuries passed, the Henao surname continued to spread across Spain and eventually made its way to the Americas during the Spanish colonization period. One notable individual with this surname was Diego Henao (1522-1597), a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure bearing the Henao surname was Juan Manuel Henao (1715-1789), a Spanish priest and scholar who served as the Bishop of Valladolid. He was known for his extensive writings on theology and philosophy.
Another historically significant individual with the surname Henao was Juana Henao (1805-1881), a Colombian author and poet who played a crucial role in the country's literary scene during the 19th century. Her works were influential in shaping the cultural identity of Colombia during that era.
As for place names associated with the Henao surname, there is a small village called Henao located in the municipality of Ampuero, in the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain. It is believed that this village may have been named after individuals with the Henao surname who resided there in the past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Henao
Among Census respondents with the surname Henao, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Henao 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 Henao surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino94.6% · 2,542
- White4.8% · 129
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 5
- Two or more races0.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.1% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Henao
Henao 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
#12,696
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,431
+762 bearers (+45.7%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 3,284 places
2020
#11,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,686
+255 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 1,446 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,980 | 1,669 | 0.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,696 | 2,431 | 0.82 | +762 bearers (+45.7%) | Up 3,284 places |
| 2020 | #11,250 | 2,686 | 0.90 | +255 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 1,446 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 Henao 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 | #12,696 | #11,250 | 11.4% |
| Count | 2,431 | 2,686 | 10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.90 | 9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Henao bearers went from 2,431 to 2,686 (+10.5% change). The surname moved up 1,446 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,696 to #11,250.
FAQ
Henao surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Henao?
Name Census estimates that about 3,080 living Americans carry the surname Henao. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,284 residents.
How common is Henao?
Henao ranks #11,250 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,686 people with the surname Henao. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,080), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Henao.
Has Henao become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Henao went from 2,431 recorded bearers to 2,686. That is an increase of 255 (+10.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,696 to #11,250.
What does the Census say about the background of Henao?
Among Census respondents with the surname Henao, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 94.6%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Henao in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (2,542 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Henao appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (94.6%), White (4.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%). 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 Henao (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 Henao mean?
A Basque habitational surname referring to someone from a place called Enao in Vizcaya province, Spain. 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 Henao (0.90 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 are called Henao?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Henao is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.