2000
#614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 50,307
First available Census row
Per 100,000 18.65
Uncommon Last name
Heath
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived on or near a heath or area of open uncultivated land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 56,662 Americans carry the last name Heath. That puts it at #672 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 16.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,049 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heath 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 Heath with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
57K
1 in 6,049
Census rank
#672
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
16.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
49K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 49,412 bearers of the surname Heath in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 16.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 672nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heath, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heath
The surname "HEATH" originated in England and has its roots in Old English, where it was derived from the word "hæth," meaning a "heath" or "heathland." This name first appeared in areas where heathland was prevalent, such as the counties of Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Surrey.
The name "HEATH" can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as a place name and a surname. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of William de la Heth, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire in 1195.
During the Middle Ages, the name "HEATH" was often associated with the occupation of a heath-keeper or someone who oversaw and managed the heathlands. These areas were of great importance for grazing livestock and collecting fuel, among other uses.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as "Atte Hethe," "de la Hethe," and "del Hethe," reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time.
One notable bearer of the name was Robert Heath (1575-1649), an English lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench during the reign of Charles I.
Another prominent figure was James Heath (1629-1664), an English historian and writer who is best known for his work "A Chronicle of the Late Intestine War in the Three Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland."
Sir Robert Heath (1781-1853) was a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a colonial administrator in South Africa.
Benjamin Heath (1704-1766) was an English classical scholar and writer who is remembered for his work on revising and editing ancient Greek texts.
Mary Heath (1833-1925) was a British philanthropist and social reformer who worked to improve the living conditions of the poor and advocated for women's rights.
Throughout its history, the surname "HEATH" has been associated with various locations and place names, such as Heath Town in Staffordshire, Heath End in Buckinghamshire, and Heath in Derbyshire, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heath
Among Census respondents with the surname Heath, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Heath 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 Heath surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.2% · 38,170
- Black or African American13.9% · 6,879
- Two or more races4.2% · 2,057
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,622
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 358
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 326
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heath
Heath 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
#660
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 51,877
+1,570 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 17.59
Rank movement Down 46 places
2020
#672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 49,412
-2,465 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 16.53
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #614 | 50,307 | 18.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #660 | 51,877 | 17.59 | +1,570 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 46 places |
| 2020 | #672 | 49,412 | 16.53 | -2,465 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 12 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 Heath 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 | #660 | #672 | -1.8% |
| Count | 51,877 | 49,412 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 17.59 | 16.53 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heath bearers went from 51,877 to 49,412 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #660 to #672.
FAQ
Heath surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heath?
Name Census estimates that about 56,662 living Americans carry the surname Heath. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,049 residents.
How common is Heath?
Heath ranks #672 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 16.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 17 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 49,412 people with the surname Heath. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (56,662), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 16.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 16.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 17 of them to have the surname Heath.
Has Heath become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heath went from 51,877 recorded bearers to 49,412. That is a decrease of 2,465 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #660 to #672.
What does the Census say about the background of Heath?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heath, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Heath in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.2% (38,170 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heath appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.2%), Black (13.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Heath (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 Heath mean?
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived on or near a heath or area of open uncultivated land. 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 Heath (16.53 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 Heath?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.