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

High, 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 High surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of High in America

High is the 2585th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The High surname appeared 13,961 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname High.

We can also compare 2010 data for High 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 High

The surname "High" is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is a locational surname, derived from the Old English words "hēah" or "hēh," meaning "high" or "tall." This name was likely given to someone who lived on a hill or in an elevated area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "High" can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1199, which mention a person named Robert de la Heye. This early spelling variation, "de la Heye," reflects the Norman-French influence on English surnames during that period.

In the 13th century, the surname appears in various forms, such as "Atte Highe" and "de la Hye," indicating that it was primarily used to identify someone living near a high place or elevated location. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 mention a Johannes de la Hye in Buckinghamshire.

The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, does not contain the surname "High" itself, but it does include references to places with similar names, such as "Heia" in Shropshire and "Hege" in Bedfordshire, which may have been the ancestral homes of some early bearers of the name.

One notable figure with the surname "High" was Thomas High (c. 1506-1559), an English Catholic priest and martyr who was executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I for denying the spiritual supremacy of the monarch over the Church.

Another historically significant bearer of the name was Jeremiah High (1630-1703), an English Puritan minister and a founder of the town of High Hill, Connecticut, in the United States.

In the realm of literature, Mary High (1804-1868) was an English author and editor known for her works on education and moral instruction for children.

Sir Cecil Henry Erskine High (1861-1936) was a British diplomat and administrator who served as the Governor of the Federated Malay States from 1912 to 1917.

The artist Cecil High (1899-1975), known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life in England, was another noteworthy individual with this surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name High

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

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

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

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