Find out how popular the last name Hesketh is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hesketh.

Hesketh, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hesketh surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hesketh in America

Hesketh is the 41579th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hesketh surname appeared 523 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Hesketh.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hesketh to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hesketh

The surname Hesketh originates from the North West of England, specifically Lancashire. It is a locational surname derived from the town of Hesketh, located near Preston. The name has its roots in the Old English words "haecc", meaning gate or hatch, and "sceaga", meaning small wood or shaw.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Hescheit". This entry refers to a landowner holding lands in the township of Hesketh at the time of the Norman Conquest.

In the 13th century, records show the name as "de Heskayth", demonstrating its evolution from a place name to a hereditary surname. During this period, the family held lands and estates in the Hesketh area, solidifying their connection to the locality.

One of the earliest recorded members of the Hesketh family is Richard de Heskayth, who lived in the late 13th century and held the manor of Hesketh. His descendants continued to play a prominent role in the region for several generations.

In the 16th century, a notable member of the family was Sir Robert Hesketh (1492-1539), who served as High Sheriff of Lancashire and was a supporter of the English Reformation under King Henry VIII.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, Thomas Hesketh (1591-1668) was a prominent Royalist and fought for King Charles I. He was knighted for his loyalty and later became a Member of Parliament.

Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Dalrymple Hesketh (1776-1842), a British naval officer who achieved the rank of Admiral and served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars.

In the literary world, Harriet Hesketh (1780-1807) was a close friend and correspondent of the renowned poet William Cowper, providing insight into his life and work.

Throughout its history, the surname Hesketh has maintained strong connections to its geographical origins in Lancashire, with various branches of the family continuing to hold lands and estates in the region over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hesketh

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hesketh.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hesketh was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hesketh has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hesketh was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hesketh, please contact us.

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