2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hendsbee
A place name referring to a valley belonging to or associated with someone named Hend.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Hendsbee. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hendsbee 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
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Hendsbee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hendsbee, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hendsbee
The surname Hendsbee is of English origin, specifically tracing its roots back to the county of Dorset in the southwestern region of England. The name is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
Hendsbee is thought to be a locational surname, derived from a now-lost or obscure place name. It is likely that the name originally referred to someone who hailed from a particular hamlet, village, or estate bearing a similar-sounding name. The prefix "Hends" may have its origins in Old English words meaning "hinge" or "corner," potentially indicating a location near a bend or turn in a road or river.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hendsbee surname can be found in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Dorset from 1333, where a certain John Hendsby is mentioned. This spelling variation underscores the fluid nature of surnames during that era, as they were often adapted based on local dialects and scribal interpretations.
In the 16th century, the Hendsbee name appears in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in the village of Puddletown, Dorset. Notable individuals from this period include William Hendsbee (born circa 1520), who was a yeoman farmer, and his son, Thomas Hendsbee (born around 1550), a local landowner.
As the centuries progressed, members of the Hendsbee family dispersed to other parts of England, as well as to the British colonies in North America. One notable figure was Robert Hendsbee (1742-1823), a merchant and shipowner from Bristol who established successful trade routes to the West Indies and North America.
Another significant individual was Elizabeth Hendsbee (1788-1865), a renowned botanist and illustrator from Nottinghamshire. Her meticulously detailed drawings and descriptions of local flora earned her recognition from the Royal Horticultural Society.
In the 19th century, John Hendsbee (1821-1898), a skilled stonemason from Oxfordshire, was commissioned to work on the construction of several prominent buildings, including the prestigious Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford.
While the Hendsbee surname may not be among the most common in modern times, its rich history and varied geographical distribution bear witness to the enduring legacy of this distinctive English name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hendsbee
Among Census respondents with the surname Hendsbee, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hendsbee 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 Hendsbee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hendsbee
Hendsbee 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,088 places
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-7 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 12,088 places |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 1,362 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 Hendsbee 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 | #154,907 | #156,269 | -0.9% |
| Count | 105 | 98 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hendsbee bearers went from 105 to 98 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 1,362 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #156,269.
FAQ
Hendsbee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hendsbee?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Hendsbee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Hendsbee?
Hendsbee ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 98 people with the surname Hendsbee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Hendsbee.
Has Hendsbee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hendsbee went from 105 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #154,907 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Hendsbee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hendsbee, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Hendsbee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hendsbee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Hendsbee (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 Hendsbee mean?
A place name referring to a valley belonging to or associated with someone named Hend. 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 Hendsbee (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Hendsbee?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.