2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Hedaya
An Arabic surname meaning "guidance" or "light."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Hedaya. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hedaya 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Hedaya in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hedaya, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hedaya
The surname Hedaya is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, with its roots tracing back to the Middle East and North Africa regions. The name may be derived from the Arabic word "hedaya," which means "guidance" or "direction," suggesting a connection to religious or spiritual leadership.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hedaya can be found in historical documents from the 13th century, during the reign of the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt and the Levant region. It is possible that the name was associated with scholars or religious figures who provided guidance and teachings in Islamic studies or literature.
In the 14th century, the Hedaya surname appeared in various manuscripts and records from the Ottoman Empire, particularly in regions like modern-day Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. During this period, the name may have been linked to individuals who played influential roles in the intellectual or religious spheres of the Ottoman society.
The Hedaya surname has also been documented in historical records from the Mughal Empire in South Asia, dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. It is believed that the name may have been introduced to the region through cultural and intellectual exchanges between the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent.
One notable figure who carried the Hedaya surname was Ali ibn Abi Bakr al-Marghinani (c. 1156-1197), a renowned Islamic scholar and jurist from Marghinan, modern-day Uzbekistan. His work, "Al-Hidayah fi Sharh Bidayat al-Mubtadi" (The Guidance: A Commentary on the Primer for the Novice), was a highly influential text on Hanafi jurisprudence and became a standard reference in Islamic legal studies.
Another prominent individual with the Hedaya surname was Syed Hussain Hedayat (1903-1951), an Iranian writer and intellectual who is considered one of the most influential figures in modern Persian literature. His novel "The Blind Owl" is regarded as a masterpiece of 20th-century fiction and has been widely translated and studied.
In the 19th century, the Hedaya surname was also associated with notable figures in the Ottoman Empire, such as Mehmet Hedayat Efendi (1823-1901), a statesman and diplomat who served as the Ottoman Ambassador to various European countries, including France and Italy.
Additionally, the Hedaya surname can be found in historical records from regions like Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, where it may have been introduced through the spread of Islamic culture and scholarship during the medieval period.
Overall, the surname Hedaya has a rich and diverse history, with its roots stretching across various regions and cultures, often associated with religious guidance, intellectual pursuits, and influential figures in literature, scholarship, and statecraft.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hedaya
Among Census respondents with the surname Hedaya, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hedaya 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 Hedaya surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hedaya
Hedaya appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+18 bearers (+18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 17,464 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+18.0%) | Up 17,464 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 Hedaya 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 | #160,975 | #143,511 | 10.8% |
| Count | 100 | 118 | 18.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 31.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hedaya bearers went from 100 to 118 (+18.0% change). The surname moved up 17,464 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #143,511.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hedaya
FAQ
Hedaya surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hedaya?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Hedaya. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Hedaya?
Hedaya ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 118 people with the surname Hedaya. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Hedaya.
Has Hedaya become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hedaya went from 100 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 18 (+18.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Hedaya?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hedaya, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Hedaya in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hedaya appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Hedaya (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 Hedaya mean?
An Arabic surname meaning "guidance" or "light." 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 Hedaya (0.04 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 Hedaya?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.