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

Henegar, 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 Henegar surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Henegar in America

Henegar is the 16025th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Henegar surname appeared 1,810 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Henegar.

We can also compare 2010 data for Henegar 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.

The history of the last name Henegar

The surname Henegar is believed to have originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "henn" meaning a chicken or rooster, and "gara" meaning a small enclosed field or paddock. Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked in a chicken coop or enclosure.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hennegare", referring to a landowner in the county of Oxfordshire. It is also worth noting that variations of the name, such as "Henniger" and "Hennegair", were found in medieval records from various parts of England, particularly in the southern counties.

During the 13th century, the name Henegar appeared in several court records and manorial rolls from the county of Wiltshire. For instance, a William Henegar was listed as a landowner in the village of Amesbury in 1279. Additionally, a John Henegar was recorded as a taxpayer in the nearby town of Wilton in 1327.

In the 16th century, the name Henegar was particularly prevalent in the county of Dorset. Notable individuals from this period include Richard Henegar, a merchant from Bridport who was mentioned in trade records from 1568, and Alice Henegar, who was born in Lyme Regis in 1594 and later married into the prominent Gould family.

Moving into the 17th century, one of the most notable figures with the surname Henegar was Sir John Henegar (1602-1677), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament for the borough of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis. His family estate, known as Henegar House, still stands in the village of Cerne Abbas.

Other individuals of note include Robert Henegar (1718-1793), a prominent clockmaker from the town of Witney in Oxfordshire, and Sarah Henegar (1765-1848), a renowned author and playwright from Bristol, whose works were widely celebrated during the Romantic period.

Throughout its history, the surname Henegar has maintained strong ties to its English roots, particularly in the southern counties where it first emerged. While variations in spelling have occurred over time, the name has retained its distinctive connection to the poultry-related origins from which it is derived.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Henegar

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

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 Henegar was:

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

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

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

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