2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Henerson
Short form of Henderson, meaning "son of Hendry" (Harry).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Henerson. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Henerson 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Henerson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Henerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (32.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Henerson
The surname Henerson has its origins in the Netherlands and dates back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old Dutch words "hen" meaning "rooster" and "heer" meaning "lord" or "master". The name likely referred to someone who owned a farm or land where chickens were raised.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a Dutch census record from the year 1287, which lists a "Johannes Henerson" as a resident of the town of Zierikzee. The name also appears in various other historical documents from the Netherlands, such as land deeds and church records.
In the late 15th century, the Henerson family is said to have relocated to the Scottish Lowlands, where the name evolved into its modern spelling. One notable individual from this period was Sir William Henerson (1490-1562), a Scottish nobleman and landowner who played a significant role in the Scottish Reformation.
As the Henerson family continued to spread across Scotland and England, variations in spelling emerged, including Henderson, Hendersen, and Hendrickson. In the 17th century, a branch of the family migrated to the American colonies, where they settled in various parts of New England and the Mid-Atlantic region.
Among the notable figures who bore the Henerson surname are:
1. Alexander Henerson (1583-1638), a Scottish philosopher and writer who was a professor at the University of Edinburgh.
2. John Henerson (1630-1704), an English Puritan minister and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.
3. Elizabeth Henerson (1715-1792), a Scottish poet and playwright who was a member of the Edinburgh Literary Society.
4. James Henerson (1817-1888), a Scottish-born American industrialist who founded the Henerson Manufacturing Company in Pittsburgh.
5. William Henerson (1873-1932), a Canadian artist and illustrator known for his depictions of life in the Canadian Rockies.
The surname Henerson has a rich history that spans multiple countries and centuries, with its origins rooted in the Netherlands and a strong presence in Scotland, England, and later, the Americas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Henerson
Among Census respondents with the surname Henerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (32.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Henerson 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 Henerson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.6% · 62
- Black or African American32.7% · 34
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Henerson
Henerson 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,489 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-13 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,482 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 12,489 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -13 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 11,482 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 Henerson 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 | #142,108 | #153,590 | -8.1% |
| Count | 117 | 104 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Henerson bearers went from 117 to 104 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 11,482 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #153,590.
FAQ
Henerson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Henerson?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Henerson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Henerson?
Henerson ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Henerson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Henerson.
Has Henerson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Henerson went from 117 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 13 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Henerson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Henerson, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (32.7%) and Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Henerson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.6% (62 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Henerson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.6%), Black (32.7%), Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Henerson (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 Henerson mean?
Short form of Henderson, meaning "son of Hendry" (Harry). 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 Henerson (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 Henerson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.