2000
#50,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 386
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.14
Very Rare Last name
Hennigar
An English and German surname derived from a medieval personal name meaning "ruler or leader".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 536 Americans carry the last name Hennigar. That puts it at #48,797 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 639,467 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hennigar 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
536
1 in 639,467
Census rank
#48,797
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
467
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 467 bearers of the surname Hennigar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 48797th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hennigar, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hennigar
The surname Hennigar has its roots firmly planted in the British Isles, specifically in the regions of England and Scotland. Its origins can be traced back to the 13th century, where it was believed to have derived from the Old English word 'hening', meaning a male chicken or rooster.
This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who exhibited rooster-like characteristics, such as a strutting gait or a loud, crowing voice. Alternatively, it could have been a occupational surname for someone who raised or traded in chickens or roosters.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire, England, dated 1273, which mentions a Johannes Hening. Other early spellings of the name include Henynge, Hennynge, and Henyng.
The Hennigar surname has also been linked to various place names, such as Heningham in Norfolk, England, and Henning in East Yorkshire. These locations may have influenced the spelling variations of the name over time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Hennigar surname. One such figure was Sir Nicholas Hennigar (1555-1621), an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London.
Another prominent bearer of this name was Captain John Hennigar (1650-1718), a Scottish sailor and explorer known for his voyages to the West Indies and the Americas during the late 17th century.
In the realm of literature, the English writer and poet Joseph Hennigar (1789-1854) gained recognition for his work entitled "Poems on Various Subjects," published in 1820.
The Hennigar name also found its way into the world of politics, with William Hennigar (1817-1892) serving as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia, Canada, in the mid-19th century.
Finally, one cannot overlook the contribution of Sir Arthur Hennigar (1865-1941), a British industrialist and philanthropist who played a significant role in the development of the steel industry in the early 20th century.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals who have carried the Hennigar surname throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of this name's legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hennigar
Among Census respondents with the surname Hennigar, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hennigar 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 Hennigar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 405
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 31
- Two or more races4.1% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.9% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hennigar
Hennigar 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
#57,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 352
-34 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 6,980 places
2020
#48,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 467
+115 bearers (+32.7%)
Per 100,000 0.16
Rank movement Up 8,984 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #50,801 | 386 | 0.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #57,781 | 352 | 0.12 | -34 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 6,980 places |
| 2020 | #48,797 | 467 | 0.16 | +115 bearers (+32.7%) | Up 8,984 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 Hennigar 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 | #57,781 | #48,797 | 15.5% |
| Count | 352 | 467 | 32.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.16 | 30.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hennigar bearers went from 352 to 467 (+32.7% change). The surname moved up 8,984 positions in the national ranking, going from #57,781 to #48,797.
FAQ
Hennigar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hennigar?
Name Census estimates that about 536 living Americans carry the surname Hennigar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 639,467 residents.
How common is Hennigar?
Hennigar ranks #48,797 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.16 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 467 people with the surname Hennigar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (536), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.16 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 Hennigar.
Has Hennigar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hennigar went from 352 recorded bearers to 467. That is an increase of 115 (+32.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #57,781 to #48,797.
What does the Census say about the background of Hennigar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hennigar, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hennigar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (405 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hennigar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Hispanic (6.6%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hennigar (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 Hennigar mean?
An English and German surname derived from a medieval personal name meaning "ruler or leader". 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 Hennigar (0.16 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 Hennigar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.