2000
#9,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,260
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Hendon
A locational surname referring to a town in Middlesex, England, derived from Old English words meaning "high down."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,734 Americans carry the last name Hendon. That puts it at #9,548 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,793 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hendon 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 Hendon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 91,793
Census rank
#9,548
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,256 bearers of the surname Hendon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9548th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hendon, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hendon
The surname "HENDON" is of English origin, deriving from the place name Hendon, a district in the London Borough of Barnet. The name is thought to stem from the Old English words "hēah" meaning "high" and "dūn" meaning "hill" or "down," referring to the area's elevated terrain.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the late 12th century. In the Pipe Rolls of Hertfordshire from 1181, a landowner named Richard de Hendon is mentioned, suggesting the name was already in use as a locational surname at that time.
Hendon is also referenced in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, where it is recorded as "Hendune." This historical document provides valuable insight into the area's history and the name's evolution over the centuries.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Sir Walter de Hendon, a 13th-century knight who held lands in Middlesex and served as a Justice of the Court of Common Pleas during the reign of King Edward I.
In the 14th century, a prominent figure named John de Hendon was appointed as the Sheriff of London in 1359. His tenure coincided with a period of significant unrest and political turmoil in the city.
During the 15th century, the Hendon family held considerable influence in Oxfordshire. Sir Robert Hendon, born around 1420, was a notable member of this branch, serving as the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire and Berkshire in 1458.
In the 16th century, a clergyman named William Hendon gained recognition for his scholarly work. Born in 1533, he was a fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, and authored several theological treatises.
The 17th century saw the emergence of Thomas Hendon, a prominent merchant and landowner from Bristol. Born in 1612, he amassed substantial wealth through his trading ventures and played a influential role in the city's economic affairs.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hendon
Among Census respondents with the surname Hendon, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Hispanic (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hendon 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 Hendon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.6% · 2,265
- Black or African American19.1% · 621
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 143
- Two or more races4.3% · 141
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hendon
Hendon 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
#9,567
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,398
+138 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 367 places
2020
#9,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,256
-142 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,200 | 3,260 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,567 | 3,398 | 1.15 | +138 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 367 places |
| 2020 | #9,548 | 3,256 | 1.09 | -142 bearers (-4.2%) | Up 19 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 Hendon 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 | #9,567 | #9,548 | 0.2% |
| Count | 3,398 | 3,256 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.09 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hendon bearers went from 3,398 to 3,256 (-4.2% change). The surname moved up 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,567 to #9,548.
FAQ
Hendon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hendon?
Name Census estimates that about 3,734 living Americans carry the surname Hendon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,793 residents.
How common is Hendon?
Hendon ranks #9,548 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,256 people with the surname Hendon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,734), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Hendon.
Has Hendon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hendon went from 3,398 recorded bearers to 3,256. That is a decrease of 142 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,567 to #9,548.
What does the Census say about the background of Hendon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hendon, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.6%. The next largest groups are Black (19.1%) and Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Hendon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.6% (2,265 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hendon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.6%), Black (19.1%), Hispanic (4.4%). 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 Hendon (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 Hendon mean?
A locational surname referring to a town in Middlesex, England, derived from Old English words meaning "high down." 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 Hendon (1.09 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 share the surname Hendon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.