2000
#3,437
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,522
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.53
Uncommon Last name
Hawes
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived by or tended a hawse, an enclosure for catching or keeping animals.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,955 Americans carry the last name Hawes. That puts it at #3,626 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,287 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hawes 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 Hawes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,287
Census rank
#3,626
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.6K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,553 bearers of the surname Hawes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3626th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hawes, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hawes
The surname Hawes originated in England and is thought to have derived from the Old English word 'haw', meaning a hedge, or from the plural form 'hawes', which refers to small plots of land enclosed by hedges. It is believed to have been initially used as a topographic name for someone who lived near a hedge or hedged enclosure.
The earliest known record of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as 'Hawa' and 'Hawe'. This suggests that the name was already in use by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, including 'Hawe', 'Hawys', 'Hause', and 'Haws'. These variations reflect the regional dialects and the lack of standardized spelling at the time.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Sir John Hawes, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War. He was born around 1330 and served under King Edward III.
In the 16th century, Stephen Hawes (c. 1475 - 1523) was a notable English poet and playwright. He is best known for his allegorical works, such as 'The Pastime of Pleasure' and 'The Example of Virtue'.
Another notable figure was Sir James Hawes (1594 - 1661), an English politician and Member of Parliament during the reign of Charles I. He played a significant role in the English Civil War, initially supporting the Royalist cause before switching sides to the Parliamentarians.
In the 18th century, William Hawes (1736 - 1808) was a renowned English painter and engraver. He is particularly known for his portraits and historical paintings, which were highly acclaimed during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, Benjamin Hawes (1797 - 1862) was an English architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings, including the Euston Arch in London.
Throughout history, the surname Hawes has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Hawes in North Yorkshire and Hawes in Derbyshire, which may have contributed to the name's origin and widespread use.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hawes
Among Census respondents with the surname Hawes, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hawes 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 Hawes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.2% · 7,662
- Black or African American12.0% · 1,149
- Two or more races3.5% · 336
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 301
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hawes
Hawes 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
#3,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,908
+386 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 3.36
Rank movement Down 153 places
2020
#3,626
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,553
-355 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 3.20
Rank movement Down 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,437 | 9,522 | 3.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,590 | 9,908 | 3.36 | +386 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 153 places |
| 2020 | #3,626 | 9,553 | 3.20 | -355 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 36 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 Hawes 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 | #3,590 | #3,626 | -1.0% |
| Count | 9,908 | 9,553 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 3.36 | 3.20 | -4.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hawes bearers went from 9,908 to 9,553 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,590 to #3,626.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hawes
FAQ
Hawes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hawes?
Name Census estimates that about 10,955 living Americans carry the surname Hawes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,287 residents.
How common is Hawes?
Hawes ranks #3,626 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,553 people with the surname Hawes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,955), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Hawes.
Has Hawes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hawes went from 9,908 recorded bearers to 9,553. That is a decrease of 355 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,590 to #3,626.
What does the Census say about the background of Hawes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hawes, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (12.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Hawes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (7,662 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hawes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.2%), Black (12.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Hawes (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 Hawes mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone who lived by or tended a hawse, an enclosure for catching or keeping animals. 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 Hawes (3.20 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 Hawes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.