2000
#5,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,159
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.28
Rare Last name
Hewett
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "hill with a sharp point."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,656 Americans carry the last name Hewett. That puts it at #5,752 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,496 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hewett 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 Hewett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,496
Census rank
#5,752
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,804 bearers of the surname Hewett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5752nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hewett, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hewett
The surname Hewett has its origins in England and dates back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words 'hig' meaning hay and 'wiht' meaning a small island or meadow, essentially referring to someone who lived on a hay meadow or in an area surrounded by hay fields.
Variations in the spelling of the name over time include Hewett, Hewitt, Hewet, Huett, and Hughitt. The name is found in historical records such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is recorded as 'Hewet' and 'Hewett'.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name is Richard Hewett, who is mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166. Another early reference is found in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1203, where a William Hewet is listed.
The Domesday Book of 1086 does not mention the surname directly, but it does include several place names that may have contributed to the development of the surname, such as Huish in Somerset and Hewish in Wiltshire.
Notable individuals with the surname Hewett include Sir George Hewett (1567-1632), an English naval commander who served under Sir Walter Raleigh and was knighted by King James I. Another prominent figure was Sir William Hewett (1588-1659), an English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench.
Other examples of historical figures with the surname Hewett are John Hewett (1614-1658), an English clergyman and author; Michael Hewett (1624-1688), an English actor and playwright; and Joachim Hewett (1592-1675), a Dutch-born merchant and diplomat who served as the ambassador of the Dutch Republic to England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hewett
Among Census respondents with the surname Hewett, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hewett 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 Hewett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.9% · 4,870
- Black or African American7.4% · 431
- Two or more races4.6% · 265
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 151
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hewett
Hewett 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
#5,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,336
+177 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 2.15
Rank movement Down 278 places
2020
#5,752
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,804
-532 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Down 263 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,211 | 6,159 | 2.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,489 | 6,336 | 2.15 | +177 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 278 places |
| 2020 | #5,752 | 5,804 | 1.94 | -532 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 263 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 Hewett 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 | #5,489 | #5,752 | -4.8% |
| Count | 6,336 | 5,804 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.15 | 1.94 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hewett bearers went from 6,336 to 5,804 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 263 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,489 to #5,752.
FAQ
Hewett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hewett?
Name Census estimates that about 6,656 living Americans carry the surname Hewett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,496 residents.
How common is Hewett?
Hewett ranks #5,752 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,804 people with the surname Hewett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,656), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hewett.
Has Hewett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hewett went from 6,336 recorded bearers to 5,804. That is a decrease of 532 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,489 to #5,752.
What does the Census say about the background of Hewett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hewett, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Black (7.4%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Hewett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (4,870 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hewett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.9%), Black (7.4%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Hewett (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 Hewett mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place meaning "hill with a sharp point." 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 Hewett (1.94 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 are called Hewett?
Want to know how many people are called Hewett? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.