2000
#7,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,988
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.48
Rare Last name
Hawn
Derived from a Middle English personal name, Haughn, which is of uncertain origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,960 Americans carry the last name Hawn. That puts it at #9,088 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,554 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hawn 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
4.0K
1 in 86,554
Census rank
#9,088
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,453 bearers of the surname Hawn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9088th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hawn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hawn
The surname Hawn has its origins in England, dating back to the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "haufoc," which means "hawk" or "falcon." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a nickname for someone who possessed characteristics associated with these birds, such as keen eyesight or agility.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296, where a person named Simon Haufoc was listed. It is also possible that the name may have originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near a place where hawks were kept or trained for hunting purposes.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, including Hauuoc, Haufoc, and Havoc, reflecting the variations in spelling common during that era. The Hundred Rolls of Buckinghamshire from 1273 mention a John le Haufoc, while the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 record a William Havok.
As the centuries progressed, the spelling of the surname gradually evolved, with the addition of the letter "n" to form the more modern version, Hawn. This can be seen in records from the 16th century, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1558, which lists a Thomas Hawn.
One notable figure bearing the Hawn surname was Sir Robert Hawn (1589-1668), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Southwark during the reign of King Charles I. Another was William Hawn (1767-1818), an American frontiersman and military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.
Other historically significant individuals with the surname include John Hawn (1792-1867), an American pioneer and Baptist minister who helped establish settlements in Missouri and Arkansas, and George W. Hawn (1809-1867), a Mormon leader and early settler of Utah.
Throughout its history, the Hawn surname has also been associated with various places and locations. For instance, the village of Hawn in Lincolnshire, England, may have derived its name from the same Old English word that gave rise to the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hawn
Among Census respondents with the surname Hawn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hawn 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 Hawn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 3,166
- Two or more races3.9% · 133
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 88
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 45
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hawn
Hawn 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
#9,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,556
-432 bearers (-10.8%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 1,482 places
2020
#9,088
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,453
-103 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Up 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,694 | 3,988 | 1.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,176 | 3,556 | 1.21 | -432 bearers (-10.8%) | Down 1,482 places |
| 2020 | #9,088 | 3,453 | 1.16 | -103 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 88 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 Hawn 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 | #9,176 | #9,088 | 1.0% |
| Count | 3,556 | 3,453 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.21 | 1.16 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hawn bearers went from 3,556 to 3,453 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,176 to #9,088.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hawn
FAQ
Hawn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hawn?
Name Census estimates that about 3,960 living Americans carry the surname Hawn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,554 residents.
How common is Hawn?
Hawn ranks #9,088 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 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 3,453 people with the surname Hawn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,960), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 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 Hawn.
Has Hawn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hawn went from 3,556 recorded bearers to 3,453. That is a decrease of 103 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,176 to #9,088.
What does the Census say about the background of Hawn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hawn, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Hawn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (3,166 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hawn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Hawn (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 Hawn mean?
Derived from a Middle English personal name, Haughn, which is of uncertain origin. 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 Hawn (1.16 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 Hawn?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.