2000
#8,519
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,561
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Heron
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a marsh or river inhabited by herons.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,438 Americans carry the last name Heron. That puts it at #8,195 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,232 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heron 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 Heron with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.4K
1 in 77,232
Census rank
#8,195
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,870 bearers of the surname Heron in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8195th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heron, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.8%) and Hispanic (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heron
The surname Heron originated in England and has its roots in the Old French word "heron," which means "heron," the long-legged wading bird. This surname likely first arose as a nickname for someone who bore a resemblance or had characteristics reminiscent of the heron.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Heron can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists individuals bearing the name in various counties across England. One notable early bearer of the name was Sir Robert Heron, who served as Lord Chancellor of England in the 13th century.
During the Middle Ages, the Heron family established themselves as prominent landowners in Northumberland, England. The family's ancestral seat was located at Ford Castle, which was constructed in the 12th century. Several members of the Heron family played significant roles in the conflicts between England and Scotland during this period, including Sir William Heron, who was captured by the Scots at the Battle of Neville's Cross in 1346.
In the 16th century, the Heron family rose to prominence in Ireland, where they settled in County Tipperary. One of the most notable figures from this branch of the family was Sir Richard Heron, who served as Chief Secretary for Ireland in the late 16th century.
Other notable individuals with the surname Heron throughout history include:
1. Patrick Heron (1920-1999), a British abstract painter and art critic.
2. Matilda Heron (1868-1952), an American actress and singer who performed on the vaudeville circuit in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
3. Gilbert Heron (1872-1936), a Scottish footballer who played for various clubs in England and Scotland, including Rangers and Preston North End.
4. Gavin Heron (1956-2023), a Scottish journalist and author who wrote extensively about Scottish politics and culture.
5. Fanny Heron (1819-1897), a British author and philanthropist who founded the Fanny Heron Memorial Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan.
The surname Heron has been found in various spellings throughout history, including Heron, Hearon, Herron, and Heroun, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences. Today, the name Heron continues to be prevalent in many parts of the world, particularly in England, Scotland, Ireland, and North America.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heron
Among Census respondents with the surname Heron, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.8%) and Hispanic (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Heron 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 Heron surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.0% · 2,440
- Black or African American21.8% · 842
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 304
- Two or more races4.7% · 180
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 75
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heron
Heron 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
#8,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,934
+373 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Up 112 places
2020
#8,195
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,870
-64 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Up 212 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,519 | 3,561 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,407 | 3,934 | 1.33 | +373 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 112 places |
| 2020 | #8,195 | 3,870 | 1.29 | -64 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 212 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 Heron 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 | #8,407 | #8,195 | 2.5% |
| Count | 3,934 | 3,870 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.33 | 1.29 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heron bearers went from 3,934 to 3,870 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 212 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,407 to #8,195.
FAQ
Heron surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heron?
Name Census estimates that about 4,438 living Americans carry the surname Heron. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,232 residents.
How common is Heron?
Heron ranks #8,195 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 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 3,870 people with the surname Heron. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,438), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 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 Heron.
Has Heron become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heron went from 3,934 recorded bearers to 3,870. That is a decrease of 64 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,407 to #8,195.
What does the Census say about the background of Heron?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heron, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (21.8%) and Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Heron in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.0% (2,440 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heron appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.0%), Black (21.8%), Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Heron (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 Heron mean?
An English toponymic surname referring to someone who lived near a marsh or river inhabited by herons. 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 Heron (1.29 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 surname Heron?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.