2000
#112,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hensleigh
The name refers to an enclosed meadow where poultry was kept.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 158 Americans carry the last name Hensleigh. That puts it at #129,045 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,169,331 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hensleigh 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
158
1 in 2,169,331
Census rank
#129,045
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
138
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 138 bearers of the surname Hensleigh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 129045th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hensleigh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hensleigh
The surname Hensleigh has its origins in England, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the village of Hensley in Staffordshire. This village's name is thought to come from the Old English words "henn" meaning "hen" and "leah" meaning "clearing" or "meadow."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hensleigh appears in the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1673, where a John Hensleigh is listed as a taxpayer in the village of Hensley. The name is also found in various parish records from the 17th and 18th centuries, with variations in spelling such as Hensly, Hensley, and Hensleigh.
A notable figure bearing this surname was Sir John Hensleigh (1599-1678), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Staffordshire during the reign of Charles I. Another prominent individual was Robert Hensleigh (1735-1811), a British admiral who played a significant role in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
In the literary world, Ralph Hensleigh Inglis (1786-1857) was a British writer and clergyman who authored several works on theology and religion. Additionally, Walter Hensleigh Allen (1856-1942) was an English linguist and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of phonetics and the history of the English language.
The surname Hensleigh can also be found in historical records from the United States, where it was likely brought by English immigrants in the 17th and 18th centuries. One notable American with this surname was John Hensleigh (1790-1862), a lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Illinois in the 1830s.
While the surname Hensleigh is not among the most common in the English-speaking world, its history can be traced back several centuries, with its roots firmly planted in the English countryside and its bearers leaving their mark in various fields, from politics and military service to literature and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hensleigh
Among Census respondents with the surname Hensleigh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hensleigh 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 Hensleigh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 127
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 5
- Two or more races3.6% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hensleigh
Hensleigh 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
-16 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,014 places
2020
#129,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
+9 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 2,334 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,365 | 145 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 19,014 places |
| 2020 | #129,045 | 138 | 0.05 | +9 bearers (+7.0%) | Up 2,334 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 Hensleigh 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 | #131,379 | #129,045 | 1.8% |
| Count | 129 | 138 | 7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 15.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hensleigh bearers went from 129 to 138 (+7.0% change). The surname moved up 2,334 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #129,045.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hensleigh
FAQ
Hensleigh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hensleigh?
Name Census estimates that about 158 living Americans carry the surname Hensleigh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,169,331 residents.
How common is Hensleigh?
Hensleigh ranks #129,045 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 138 people with the surname Hensleigh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (158), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Hensleigh.
Has Hensleigh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hensleigh went from 129 recorded bearers to 138. That is an increase of 9 (+7.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #131,379 to #129,045.
What does the Census say about the background of Hensleigh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hensleigh, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Hensleigh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (127 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hensleigh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Hensleigh (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 Hensleigh mean?
The name refers to an enclosed meadow where poultry was kept. 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 Hensleigh (0.05 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 common is the surname Hensleigh?
Want to know how common the surname Hensleigh is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.