2000
#16,349
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,622
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.60
Rare Last name
Halladay
An English place name meaning "day of the holiday" or "hallowed day".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,865 Americans carry the last name Halladay. That puts it at #17,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 183,782 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Halladay 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 Halladay with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.9K
1 in 183,782
Census rank
#17,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,626 bearers of the surname Halladay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Halladay, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Halladay
The surname Halladay is of English origin, deriving from a place name that first emerged in the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from a location known as "Hallidayes" or "Halidays" in the county of Yorkshire, England. This place name itself is thought to be derived from the Old English words "halig" meaning "holy" and "dæg" meaning "day," potentially referring to a sacred site or a location where religious festivities were held.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Halladay name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, dating back to the 13th century. These ancient records were maintained by the English Exchequer to document the collection of taxes and other financial transactions. The inclusion of the name Halladay in these rolls suggests that individuals bearing this surname were present in the region during that time.
In the 14th century, the Halladay surname appeared in various forms, such as "Halyday," "Halliday," and "Haliday," reflecting the variations in spelling that were common in early English records. These variations likely arose from the regional dialects and the inconsistencies in recording names during that era.
One notable individual bearing the Halladay name was John Halliday, a merchant and alderman who lived in the city of York, England, in the late 16th century. Halliday was a prominent figure in the city's trade and commerce, and his name is mentioned in several historical documents from that period.
Another significant figure was William Halladay, who was born in 1605 in Lincolnshire, England. Halladay was a prominent Puritan minister and author, known for his religious writings and sermons. He played an influential role in shaping the religious landscape of his time.
In the 18th century, the Halladay surname gained recognition through the work of Samuel Halladay, a renowned English clockmaker and inventor. Born in 1685 in Oxfordshire, Halladay made significant contributions to the field of horology, developing innovative clock mechanisms and escapements that improved timekeeping accuracy.
The Halladay surname also has a connection to the American colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of John Halladay, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 and later settled in Maryland. He became a prominent landowner and played a role in the early development of the colony.
Another notable figure was Robert Halladay, born in 1768 in Pennsylvania. Halladay was a skilled gunsmith and inventor, renowned for his contributions to the development of firearms during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. His innovative designs and improvements to rifle mechanisms earned him recognition in the emerging firearms industry.
These are just a few examples of the individuals who have carried the Halladay surname throughout history, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions made by those bearing this name across various fields and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Halladay
Among Census respondents with the surname Halladay, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Halladay 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 Halladay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 1,511
- Two or more races3.1% · 50
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 47
- Black or African American0.6% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Halladay
Halladay 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
#16,575
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,731
+109 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 226 places
2020
#17,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,626
-105 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 474 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,349 | 1,622 | 0.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,575 | 1,731 | 0.59 | +109 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 226 places |
| 2020 | #17,049 | 1,626 | 0.54 | -105 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 474 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 Halladay 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 | #16,575 | #17,049 | -2.9% |
| Count | 1,731 | 1,626 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.54 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Halladay bearers went from 1,731 to 1,626 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 474 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,575 to #17,049.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Halladay
FAQ
Halladay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Halladay?
Name Census estimates that about 1,865 living Americans carry the surname Halladay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 183,782 residents.
How common is Halladay?
Halladay ranks #17,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.54 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 1,626 people with the surname Halladay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,865), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.54 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 Halladay.
Has Halladay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Halladay went from 1,731 recorded bearers to 1,626. That is a decrease of 105 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #16,575 to #17,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Halladay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Halladay, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Halladay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (1,511 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Halladay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Halladay (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 Halladay mean?
An English place name meaning "day of the holiday" or "hallowed day". 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 Halladay (0.54 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 Americans have the surname Halladay?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.