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

Hetherington, 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 Hetherington surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hetherington in America

Hetherington is the 9552nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hetherington surname appeared 3,403 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hetherington.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hetherington 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 Hetherington

The surname Hetherington is of English origin, with roots dating back to the medieval era. It is a locational name derived from the village of Hetherington in Northumberland, England. The name is believed to have originated from the Old English words "hether" meaning a heather plant and "tun" meaning an enclosure or settlement, suggesting a connection to a place where heather grew abundantly.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century. One of the earliest references to the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Northumberland from 1273, where it is spelled as "Hethringeton." This document contains records of landowners and tenants, indicating that the Hetherington family had established roots in the region during that time.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Hethringtone" and "Hetherington," reflecting the evolution of spelling conventions over time. One notable figure from this era was John de Hetherington, who was mentioned in the Placita de Quo Warranto records of 1346, a legal document that recorded disputes over land ownership and rights.

During the 16th century, the Hetherington family continued to spread across various parts of England. Records from this period include references to individuals like William Hetherington, who was born in Northumberland in 1542, and Robert Hetherington, who was born in Yorkshire in 1578.

As the centuries progressed, the Hetherington name became more widespread, and several notable individuals bearing this surname emerged. One such figure was John Hetherington (1713-1768), an English actor and playwright who gained recognition for his performances in London theaters.

Another prominent Hetherington was William Hetherington (1804-1865), a British reformer and writer who advocated for free speech and the rights of workers. He was imprisoned for publishing an unstamped newspaper, which led to the repeal of the Stamp Act, allowing for the legal publication of inexpensive newspapers.

In the 19th century, the name also gained recognition in the field of engineering. John Hetherington (1788-1846) was a Scottish engineer who made significant contributions to the development of early railways and designed several notable bridges, including the Grosvenor Bridge in Chester.

Other notable individuals bearing the Hetherington surname include Alexander Hetherington (1808-1865), a Scottish clergyman and author, and Henry Hetherington (1865-1949), an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the late 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hetherington

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

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 Hetherington 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 Hetherington 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 Hetherington was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!