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

Heywood, 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 Heywood surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Heywood in America

Heywood is the 10316th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Heywood surname appeared 3,123 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 Heywood.

We can also compare 2010 data for Heywood 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 Heywood

The surname HEYWOOD has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the place name "Heywood" in Lancashire, which itself comes from the Old English words "heg" meaning "hedge" and "wudu" meaning "wood," referring to a wooded area enclosed by a hedge.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from 1176, where a Richard de Hewode is mentioned. The name also appears in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1246 as Robert de Heyewod.

During the 13th century, the surname was also found in other parts of England, such as Yorkshire and Staffordshire, suggesting that people from the original Heywood settlement had migrated to other areas.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, including Heyewood, Heywode, and Haywode, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and transcription at the time.

One notable figure bearing the surname HEYWOOD was John Heywood, a playwright and singer who lived from around 1497 to 1580. He served in the court of King Henry VIII and is known for his satirical plays and interludes.

Another prominent person with the surname was Eliza Heywood, an English writer and playwright who lived from 1693 to 1756. She was a prolific author and is considered one of the most important writers of her time.

In the 18th century, the surname was found in various records, including parish registers and tax rolls. One example is Thomas Heywood, a clockmaker from Lancashire who lived from 1744 to 1811.

Moving into the 19th century, the HEYWOOD surname continued to be prevalent in England, with individuals such as James Heywood, a prominent banker and philanthropist who lived from 1810 to 1892.

Additionally, the name is associated with the Heywood family, who were prominent landowners and industrialists in Lancashire during the 19th century. They owned several mills and played a significant role in the development of the textile industry in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Heywood

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

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

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

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