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

Hewes, 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 Hewes surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hewes in America

Hewes is the 15889th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hewes surname appeared 1,830 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 Hewes.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hewes 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 Hewes

The surname Hewes is of English origin and dates back to the late medieval period, specifically the 13th and 14th centuries. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "hew," which means "to cut or strike." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who worked as a woodcutter, carpenter, or perhaps even a stonecutter.

The name was most commonly found in the counties of Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire in the West Midlands region of England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1273, which mentions a person named John le Hewere.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records with different spellings, such as Hewer, Hewere, and Huer, reflecting the fluid nature of spelling during that time period. One notable example is the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which lists a Thomas le Huere.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and settlements in England compiled in 1086, does not mention the surname Hewes directly. However, it does include references to place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as Hewish in Somerset and Hewood in Lancashire.

One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Hewes was John Hewes, who lived in Gloucestershire in the late 14th century. Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Hewes (c. 1490-1558), a Member of Parliament and Sheriff of Gloucestershire during the reign of Henry VIII.

In the 16th century, the name was also found in various records from the county of Somerset, such as the will of John Hewes of Wrington, dated 1557.

During the 17th century, the Hewes family gained prominence in the city of London. Notable figures include Thomas Hewes (c. 1610-1661), a merchant and member of the East India Company, and his son, Sir George Hewes (1637-1711), a wealthy landowner and supporter of the Glorious Revolution.

In the 18th century, Joseph Hewes (1730-1779) was a prominent American patriot and signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, representing the state of North Carolina.

Throughout history, the surname Hewes has been associated with various professions, including agriculture, politics, and commerce. Despite variations in spelling, the name has maintained its distinct English roots and continues to be found in many parts of the world today.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hewes

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hewes, 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!