2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Happold
A variant of the surname "Appleby", denoting someone from Appleby, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 156 Americans carry the last name Happold. That puts it at #130,360 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,197,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Happold 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.
Bearers in the US
156
1 in 2,197,143
Census rank
#130,360
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
136
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 136 bearers of the surname Happold in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 130360th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Happold, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Happold
The surname Happold has its origins in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances of the name appearing in the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Happ," which means "to seize" or "to grasp," and the suffix "-old," which was a common patronymic ending in German surnames.
One of the earliest known references to the Happold surname can be found in the records of the city of Nürnberg, where a certain Johann Happold was mentioned as a merchant in the year 1537. This suggests that the name may have been more prevalent in the southern regions of Germany during that time period.
In the 17th century, the Happold name began to spread to other parts of Europe, with records showing individuals bearing the surname in regions such as Austria and Switzerland. One notable figure from this era was Hans Christoph Happold, a German composer and organist who lived from 1629 to 1689.
As the centuries progressed, the Happold surname continued to evolve and adapt to different cultures and languages. In the 18th century, there are records of individuals with variations of the name, such as Happoldt and Happolt, living in various parts of Germany and neighboring countries.
One of the most notable figures with the Happold surname was Johann Wilhelm Happold, a German lawyer and historian who lived from 1763 to 1833. He is best known for his work on the history of the city of Nürnberg and its surrounding regions.
In the 19th century, the Happold name began to appear in English-speaking countries, likely as a result of immigration from Germany and other parts of Europe. One prominent individual from this period was William Happold, an English businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1809 to 1887 and was known for his contributions to the development of the city of Birmingham.
Another notable figure with the Happold surname was Karl Happold, a German architect and urban planner who lived from 1868 to 1944. He was instrumental in the design and development of several major cities in Germany, including Hamburg and Berlin.
As the 20th century dawned, the Happold name continued to spread globally, with individuals bearing the surname making significant contributions in various fields. One such individual was Sir Edmund Happold, a British structural engineer who lived from 1930 to 1996 and was renowned for his work on iconic structures such as the Sydney Opera House and the Munich Olympic Stadium.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Happold
Among Census respondents with the surname Happold, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Happold 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 Happold surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 114
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 8
- Two or more races5.9% · 8
- Black or African American2.2% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Happold
Happold 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
+11 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 382 places
2020
#130,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,342 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | +11 bearers (+8.8%) | Up 382 places |
| 2020 | #130,360 | 136 | 0.05 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 4,342 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 Happold 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 | #126,018 | #130,360 | -3.4% |
| Count | 136 | 136 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Happold bearers went from 136 to 136 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 4,342 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #130,360.
FAQ
Happold surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Happold?
Name Census estimates that about 156 living Americans carry the surname Happold. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,197,143 residents.
How common is Happold?
Happold ranks #130,360 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 136 people with the surname Happold. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (156), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Happold.
Has Happold become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Happold went from 136 recorded bearers to 136. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #130,360.
What does the Census say about the background of Happold?
Among Census respondents with the surname Happold, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Happold in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Happold appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Happold (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 Happold mean?
A variant of the surname "Appleby", denoting someone from Appleby, England. 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 Happold (0.05 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 have the surname Happold?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.