2000
#12,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,356
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Herod
A biblical surname referring to the ruler of Judea who ordered the Massacre of the Innocents.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,618 Americans carry the last name Herod. That puts it at #12,884 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,922 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Herod 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 Herod with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 130,922
Census rank
#12,884
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,283 bearers of the surname Herod in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12884th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Herod, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Herod
The surname Herod traces its origins to the ancient Hebrew name Hêrôdês, which was derived from the Greek Hêrôdês. This name was borne by several rulers of Judea during the period of Roman occupation, the most famous being Herod the Great, who ruled from 37 to 4 BC. The name is believed to be of Idumean or Edomite origin, referring to the Semitic people who inhabited parts of southern Judea and the Negev desert region.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Herod can be found in medieval English records, where it appeared as a variant spelling of the given name. One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Robert Herod, who was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Herod was primarily concentrated in England, particularly in the counties of Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. It is likely that some bearers of the name adopted it as a reference to their ancestral lineage or as a tribute to the biblical figure of Herod the Great.
In the 14th century, John Herod was recorded as a landowner in the village of Chalgrove, Oxfordshire, in 1327. Another early bearer of the name was William Herod, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1380.
The Herod surname has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One such individual was Sir Ralph Herod (c. 1450-1527), an English Member of Parliament and landowner from Wiltshire. Another was Sir William Herod (c. 1530-1588), a prominent lawyer and member of the Inner Temple in London.
In the 17th century, the Herod family became established in the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name in America was John Herod, who settled in Virginia in 1635. Another notable figure was Thomas Herod (1648-1721), a Quaker preacher and writer who lived in Pennsylvania.
Other notable individuals with the surname Herod include Toby Herod (1811-1883), an English cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire, and Benjamin Herod (1829-1899), a prominent Australian politician and member of the Legislative Council of South Australia.
Overall, the surname Herod has a rich and diverse history, originating from ancient Judea and later becoming established in various parts of England and the British Isles, before spreading to other regions through migration and colonization.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Herod
Among Census respondents with the surname Herod, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Herod 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 Herod surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.6% · 1,475
- Black or African American25.8% · 590
- Two or more races4.4% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Herod
Herod 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
#12,817
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,406
+50 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 678 places
2020
#12,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,283
-123 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 67 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,139 | 2,356 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,817 | 2,406 | 0.82 | +50 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 678 places |
| 2020 | #12,884 | 2,283 | 0.76 | -123 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 67 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 Herod 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 | #12,817 | #12,884 | -0.5% |
| Count | 2,406 | 2,283 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.76 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Herod bearers went from 2,406 to 2,283 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 67 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,817 to #12,884.
FAQ
Herod surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Herod?
Name Census estimates that about 2,618 living Americans carry the surname Herod. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,922 residents.
How common is Herod?
Herod ranks #12,884 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 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 2,283 people with the surname Herod. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,618), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 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 Herod.
Has Herod become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Herod went from 2,406 recorded bearers to 2,283. That is a decrease of 123 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,817 to #12,884.
What does the Census say about the background of Herod?
Among Census respondents with the surname Herod, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Black (25.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Herod in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.6% (1,475 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Herod appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.6%), Black (25.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Herod (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 Herod mean?
A biblical surname referring to the ruler of Judea who ordered the Massacre of the Innocents. 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 Herod (0.76 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 Herod?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.