2000
#15,539
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,728
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Hepworth
From a place name meaning "high enclosure" or "enclosed farmland on a hill" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,429 Americans carry the last name Hepworth. That puts it at #13,700 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 141,109 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hepworth 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 Hepworth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 141,109
Census rank
#13,700
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,118 bearers of the surname Hepworth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13700th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hepworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hepworth
The surname Hepworth is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is believed to have originated in the northern regions of England, particularly Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is a locational surname derived from the Old English words "hep" meaning rose-hip and "worth" meaning an enclosure or farm. Essentially, the name refers to a settlement or farmstead where rose-hips grew abundantly.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Heppeword" in reference to a place in Yorkshire. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 11th century.
During the medieval period, the name was often recorded with various spellings, such as Heppeworth, Hepworth, and Heppeworthe, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and local dialects.
Prominent individuals bearing the surname Hepworth include Sir John Hepworth (c. 1492-1572), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Yorkshire, who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1567. Another notable figure was Ralph Hepworth (1596-1671), an English clergyman and academic who served as Master of Christ's College, Cambridge.
In the 18th century, the name gained further recognition through the achievements of John Hepworth (1734-1803), a renowned clockmaker and inventor from Yorkshire. His innovative designs and contributions to horology were highly acclaimed during his lifetime.
The 19th century saw the rise of several notable individuals with the surname Hepworth, including Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), a celebrated English sculptor and artist who was a pioneer of modern sculpture. Her works are displayed in prestigious galleries and museums around the world.
Another prominent figure from this period was Joseph Hepworth (1834-1911), a British photographer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of photographic processes and techniques.
Throughout its history, the surname Hepworth has maintained its strong association with the northern regions of England, particularly Yorkshire, where it originated and where many families bearing this name have lived for generations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hepworth
Among Census respondents with the surname Hepworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hepworth 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 Hepworth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 1,986
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 58
- Two or more races2.5% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hepworth
Hepworth 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
#15,159
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,945
+217 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 380 places
2020
#13,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,118
+173 bearers (+8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 1,459 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,539 | 1,728 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,159 | 1,945 | 0.66 | +217 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 380 places |
| 2020 | #13,700 | 2,118 | 0.71 | +173 bearers (+8.9%) | Up 1,459 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 Hepworth 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 | #15,159 | #13,700 | 9.6% |
| Count | 1,945 | 2,118 | 8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.71 | 7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hepworth bearers went from 1,945 to 2,118 (+8.9% change). The surname moved up 1,459 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,159 to #13,700.
FAQ
Hepworth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hepworth?
Name Census estimates that about 2,429 living Americans carry the surname Hepworth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 141,109 residents.
How common is Hepworth?
Hepworth ranks #13,700 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,118 people with the surname Hepworth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,429), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hepworth.
Has Hepworth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hepworth went from 1,945 recorded bearers to 2,118. That is an increase of 173 (+8.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,159 to #13,700.
What does the Census say about the background of Hepworth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hepworth, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Hepworth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (1,986 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hepworth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Hepworth (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 Hepworth mean?
From a place name meaning "high enclosure" or "enclosed farmland on a hill" in Old English. 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 Hepworth (0.71 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 have the last name Hepworth?
Find out how many people have the last name Hepworth on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.