2000
#12,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,384
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Highland
A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived in or came from a highland region or mountainous area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,467 Americans carry the last name Highland. That puts it at #13,514 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,936 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Highland 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 Highland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 138,936
Census rank
#13,514
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,151 bearers of the surname Highland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13514th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Highland, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Highland
The surname Highland is of English origin and is derived from the Old English word "hēah-land," which means "high ground" or "elevated land." This name likely originated in the areas of England that were characterized by hilly or mountainous terrain.
The earliest recorded instances of the Highland surname can be traced back to the late 12th century. In the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, there is a reference to a person named Richard de Heylaund, which is believed to be an early spelling variation of the Highland name.
During the medieval period, the Highland name appeared in several historical records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed individuals such as Robert de la Heighelond and Robert de la Heygheland. These variations in spelling were common during this time and reflected regional dialects and scribal variations.
In the 14th century, the Highland name was mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in Yorkshire, where a person named Johannes del Higheland was recorded in 1317. This suggests that the name was present in different parts of England during this period.
One notable individual with the Highland surname was Sir John Highland (c. 1480-1537), an English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas during the reign of King Henry VIII.
Another prominent figure was Sir Robert Highland (1565-1622), an English politician and Member of Parliament who represented the borough of Bridport in the early 17th century.
In the literary world, James Highland (1698-1778) was a Scottish poet and playwright who is best known for his work "The Prospect of Society," published in 1741.
During the 18th century, the Highland surname was also found in the American colonies. One example is William Highland (1738-1819), a soldier and landowner from Virginia who fought in the Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, Charles Highland (1856-1932) was a notable American architect who designed several landmark buildings in Los Angeles, including the Los Angeles County Courthouse and the Los Angeles City Hall.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who carried the Highland surname, which has its roots in the Old English language and reflects the geographic features associated with the name's origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Highland
Among Census respondents with the surname Highland, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Highland 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 Highland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 1,851
- Black or African American6.7% · 144
- Two or more races3.7% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Highland
Highland 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
#13,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,342
-42 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 1,074 places
2020
#13,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,151
-191 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 418 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,022 | 2,384 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,096 | 2,342 | 0.79 | -42 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 1,074 places |
| 2020 | #13,514 | 2,151 | 0.72 | -191 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 418 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 Highland 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 | #13,096 | #13,514 | -3.2% |
| Count | 2,342 | 2,151 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.79 | 0.72 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Highland bearers went from 2,342 to 2,151 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 418 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,096 to #13,514.
FAQ
Highland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Highland?
Name Census estimates that about 2,467 living Americans carry the surname Highland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,936 residents.
How common is Highland?
Highland ranks #13,514 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,151 people with the surname Highland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,467), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Highland.
Has Highland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Highland went from 2,342 recorded bearers to 2,151. That is a decrease of 191 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,096 to #13,514.
What does the Census say about the background of Highland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Highland, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Highland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (1,851 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Highland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Black (6.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Highland (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 Highland mean?
A toponymic surname referring to someone who lived in or came from a highland region or mountainous area. 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 Highland (0.72 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 Highland?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Highland at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.