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

Hey, 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 Hey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hey in America

Hey is the 15508th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hey surname appeared 1,887 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 Hey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hey 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 Hey

The surname "HEY" is believed to have originated in England, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "heg," which means "hedge" or an enclosed area, suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a hedge or enclosure.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname "HEY" can be found in various historical documents from the Middle Ages. One notable example is the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which mention a person named John Hey. Additionally, the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1379 record a William Hey.

In the 15th century, the name appeared in several manorial records, such as the Feudal Aids of 1428, which lists a Robert Hey from Staffordshire. The Hearth Tax Rolls of 1674 also mention a Samuel Hey from Lancashire.

The surname "HEY" has several variations in spelling throughout its history, including Haye, Heye, and Heigh. These variations are often associated with different regions or local dialects within England.

Regarding notable individuals bearing the surname "HEY," one can mention Sir William Hey (1619-1697), an English baronet and Member of Parliament for Yorkshire. Another prominent figure was Richard Hey (1745-1835), an English surgeon and writer on midwifery.

In the 19th century, John Hey (1786-1862) was a British geologist and writer on the geology of Derbyshire. William Heywood Hey (1772-1844) was a notable English musician and composer from Oxfordshire.

William Hey Prinsep (1794-1842) was a British indologist and antiquarian who served as an assistant to James Prinsep, the renowned scholar of Indian antiquities and numismatics.

While the surname "HEY" is more commonly found in England, it has also been recorded in other parts of the British Isles and beyond, likely due to migration and population movements over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hey

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

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

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

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