2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hentley
An English surname possibly derived from a place name or habitational name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Hentley. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hentley 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hentley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Hentley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hentley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.0%) and White (6.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hentley
The surname Hentley originated from the English county of Gloucestershire during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "henn" meaning "fowl" and "leah" meaning "woodland clearing," suggesting that the name initially referred to someone who lived in a wooded area known for its poultry farming.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hentley can be traced back to the 13th century, where it appeared in the Assize Rolls of Somerset in 1268 as "Hentelye." This suggests that variations of the spelling, such as "Hentelie" or "Henteleye," were in use during that time.
The Hentley name is also associated with various place names in England, such as Hentley Meadows in Berkshire and Hentley Farm in Wiltshire. These locations likely derived their names from the surname itself, indicating that individuals bearing the Hentley name may have resided or held land in those areas.
Notably, the Hentley surname was mentioned in the famous Domesday Book, a manuscript compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror, which recorded the names of landholders and their properties throughout England. This historical reference underscores the surname's longstanding presence in the region.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Hentley surname. One such figure was Sir William Hentley (1480-1539), a prominent English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the early 16th century.
Another distinguished bearer of the name was Elizabeth Hentley (1592-1670), a celebrated English poet and author renowned for her works exploring themes of love, nature, and spirituality.
In the 18th century, John Hentley (1701-1768) gained recognition as a skilled architect and builder, responsible for designing and constructing several notable churches and estates across southern England.
During the Victorian era, Henry Hentley (1825-1901) made significant contributions to the field of education, serving as the headmaster of a prestigious boarding school in Oxfordshire and advocating for educational reforms.
Lastly, the 20th century saw the rise of Sir Arthur Hentley (1910-1992), a highly decorated British military officer who played a pivotal role in the Allied campaigns during World War II and later served as the Governor of Gibraltar.
These examples illustrate the historical significance and prevalence of the Hentley surname across various fields and time periods, solidifying its enduring legacy as a part of English heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hentley
Among Census respondents with the surname Hentley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.0%) and White (6.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Hentley 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 Hentley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American77.5% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino9.0% · 10
- White6.3% · 7
- Two or more races6.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hentley
Hentley appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-7 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,525 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 7,525 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 Hentley 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 | #141,140 | #148,665 | -5.3% |
| Count | 118 | 111 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hentley bearers went from 118 to 111 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 7,525 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #148,665.
FAQ
Hentley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hentley?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Hentley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Hentley?
Hentley ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Hentley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Hentley.
Has Hentley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hentley went from 118 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Hentley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hentley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.0%) and White (6.3%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hentley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.5% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hentley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (77.5%), Hispanic (9.0%), White (6.3%). 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 Hentley (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 Hentley mean?
An English surname possibly derived from a place name or habitational name. 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 Hentley (0.04 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 Hentley?
See how common the surname Hentley is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.