2000
#1,826
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,041
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.69
Uncommon Last name
Hathaway
From an English place name meaning "a path across a heath," referring to someone who lived near such a path.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 20,284 Americans carry the last name Hathaway. That puts it at #1,992 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 16,898 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hathaway 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 Hathaway with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
20K
1 in 16,898
Census rank
#1,992
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
18K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 17,689 bearers of the surname Hathaway in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1992nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hathaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hathaway
The surname Hathaway is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "haeth" meaning a heathland or heather, and "weg" meaning a way or path. It is a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a heath or heather-covered path or road.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname dates back to the late 12th century, appearing as "de Hathewey" in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195. This suggests that the name originated in the county of Gloucestershire, where heathlands were abundant.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, a place called "Hathawuda" is mentioned, which is believed to be the modern-day village of Hathaway in Gloucestershire. This further reinforces the connection between the surname and the region.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was William Hathaway, who was born around 1260 in Gloucestershire. He was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 as a taxpayer in the village of Hathaway.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Hathaway was found in various records across England, with variations in spelling such as Hathawey, Hathwey, and Hathaway. Notable individuals from this period include:
1. John Hathaway (c. 1540-1620), an English merchant and explorer who traveled to the West Indies and Central America.
2. Anne Hathaway (1556-1623), the wife of William Shakespeare, the renowned English playwright and poet.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the name spread across England and to other parts of the world through migration and colonization. Some notable bearers of the surname during this time include:
1. Henry Hathaway (1798-1885), an English-born American businessman and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Illinois.
2. George Hathaway (1825-1899), an English-born Australian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Council of South Australia.
3. Nathaniel Hathaway (1868-1939), an American architect who designed several notable buildings in St. Louis, Missouri.
Throughout its history, the surname Hathaway has been associated with various occupations, from merchants and explorers to politicians and architects, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hathaway
Among Census respondents with the surname Hathaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hathaway 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 Hathaway surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 15,468
- Black or African American4.7% · 823
- Two or more races3.7% · 659
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 541
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 129
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 69
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hathaway
Hathaway 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
#1,966
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 18,401
+360 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 6.24
Rank movement Down 140 places
2020
#1,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,689
-712 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 5.92
Rank movement Down 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,826 | 18,041 | 6.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,966 | 18,401 | 6.24 | +360 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 140 places |
| 2020 | #1,992 | 17,689 | 5.92 | -712 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 26 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 Hathaway 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 | #1,966 | #1,992 | -1.3% |
| Count | 18,401 | 17,689 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 6.24 | 5.92 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hathaway bearers went from 18,401 to 17,689 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,966 to #1,992.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hathaway
FAQ
Hathaway surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hathaway?
Name Census estimates that about 20,284 living Americans carry the surname Hathaway. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 16,898 residents.
How common is Hathaway?
Hathaway ranks #1,992 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 17,689 people with the surname Hathaway. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (20,284), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Hathaway.
Has Hathaway become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hathaway went from 18,401 recorded bearers to 17,689. That is a decrease of 712 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,966 to #1,992.
What does the Census say about the background of Hathaway?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hathaway, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) 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 Hathaway in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (15,468 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hathaway appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Black (4.7%), 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 Hathaway (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 Hathaway mean?
From an English place name meaning "a path across a heath," referring to someone who lived near such a path. 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 Hathaway (5.92 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 last name Hathaway?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Hathaway, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.