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

Heyward, 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 Heyward surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Heyward in America

Heyward is the 6904th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Heyward surname appeared 4,867 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Heyward.

We can also compare 2010 data for Heyward 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 Heyward

The surname HEYWARD is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "heg" meaning hedge and "weard" meaning guard or keeper. It likely originated as an occupational name for someone who guarded or maintained hedges, perhaps as part of their duties on a manor or estate.

The earliest recorded instance of the name can be traced back to the late 12th century in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire, where a Robert Heghward is mentioned in 1195. The variant spelling "Heyward" appears a few decades later in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1218, referring to a Robert Heyward.

In the 13th century, the name was also found in various forms such as Haiward, Hayward, and Heyword, suggesting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling. The Suffolk Hundred Rolls of 1275 list a John Heyward, while the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296 mention a William Hayward.

During the Middle Ages, the HEYWARD surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Berkshire, Sussex, and Suffolk, indicating that the name may have originated in these areas or that families with this occupational surname had settled there.

One notable bearer of the HEYWARD name was Sir Clement Heyward (c. 1500-1579), a wealthy merchant and Lord Mayor of London in 1558. Another prominent figure was Thomas Heyward (1746-1809), a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence from South Carolina.

Other individuals of historical significance include John Heyward (1653-1737), an English politician and landowner who served as Governor of the Bermuda Islands, and George Heyward (1739-1804), a South Carolina planter and statesman who served in the Continental Congress.

In the literary world, the surname is associated with DuBose Heyward (1885-1940), an American author and playwright best known for his novel "Porgy" and the subsequent opera "Porgy and Bess" written in collaboration with George Gershwin.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Heyward

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

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

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

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