Hence last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Hence

An English habitational surname derived from the Old English place name "Henc".

Hence, 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 Hence surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hence in America

Hence is the 32438th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hence surname appeared 709 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Hence.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hence 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 32438 33876 -4.34%
Count 709 634 11.17%
Proportion per 100k 0.24 0.24 0.00%

The history of the last name Hence

The surname Hence originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "henc," which meant a hinge or a joining point. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a gate or a corner where paths or roads met.

The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 13th century in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, where a Nicholas Hence was mentioned. In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire, listing a Robert Hence as a taxpayer.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Hence was Sir William Hence, a knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses during the 15th century. He was born in Lincolnshire around 1420 and served under the House of Lancaster.

Another prominent figure was John Hence, a merchant and ship owner from Bristol who lived in the late 16th century. He was involved in the transatlantic trade and was known for his voyages to the Americas.

In the 17th century, the name Hence was found in various parish records across England, particularly in the counties of Devon, Gloucestershire, and Somerset. One notable individual from this period was Thomas Hence, a Puritan minister who emigrated to New England in the 1630s and became a prominent figure in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

The surname Hence also has connections to several place names in England, such as Hencroft in Shropshire and Hencot in Gloucestershire. These places likely derived their names from the Old English words "henc" and "croft" or "cot," meaning a small dwelling or enclosure near a corner or joining point.

Other notable individuals with the surname Hence include Richard Hence, a philosopher and writer from Oxfordshire who lived in the 18th century, and Elizabeth Hence, a renowned artist and painter from Cornwall who was active in the early 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hence

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

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 Hence was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 30.04% 213
Non-Hispanic Black Only 65.30% 463
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.26% 16
Hispanic Origin 1.69% 12

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

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 30.04% 29.65% 1.31%
Black 65.30% 67.03% -2.61%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.26% 1.42% 45.65%
Hispanic 1.69% 1.58% 6.73%

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

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

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"Hence last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/hence-surname-popularity/.

"Hence last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/hence-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

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

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