2000
#5,699
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,581
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.07
Rare Last name
Hemingway
Derived from a place name meaning "the road leading to Heming," likely referring to a settlement or village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,715 Americans carry the last name Hemingway. That puts it at #5,703 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,043 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hemingway 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 Hemingway with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,043
Census rank
#5,703
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,856 bearers of the surname Hemingway in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5703rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hemingway, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.4%. The next largest groups are Black (33.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hemingway
The surname Hemingway is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the village of Hemingway, located in the parish of Orton in Cumbria, England. The name is thought to have originated from the Old English words "haeming," meaning "homestead," and "weg," meaning "way" or "path."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hemingway surname can be found in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1284, where it appears as "William de Hemingway." This historical record suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 13th century.
Throughout history, the Hemingway name has been associated with various notable individuals. One of the most renowned figures is Ernest Hemingway, the acclaimed American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist, who was born in 1899 and died in 1961. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1954 for his influential works, such as "The Sun Also Rises," "A Farewell to Arms," and "The Old Man and the Sea."
Another distinguished individual bearing the Hemingway surname was Arthur Hemingway, born in 1888 and died in 1950. He was an English cricketer who played for Yorkshire County Cricket Club and the English national team between 1913 and 1936.
In the realm of politics, Hubert Hemingway, born in 1841 and died in 1908, was a prominent figure. He served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Huntingdon from 1896 to 1900.
The Hemingway name can also be traced back to historical figures such as John Hemingway, a 16th-century English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Taunton from 1577 until his death in 1593.
Additionally, the surname has been recorded with various spelling variations throughout history, including Hemingway, Hemmingway, and Hemingwey, reflecting the regional dialects and transcription practices of different eras.
While the Hemingway surname has its origins in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, with descendants and bearers of the name found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, among others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hemingway
Among Census respondents with the surname Hemingway, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.4%. The next largest groups are Black (33.8%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hemingway 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 Hemingway surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.4% · 3,362
- Black or African American33.8% · 1,980
- Two or more races4.2% · 248
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 206
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hemingway
Hemingway 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
#5,794
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,970
+389 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 2.02
Rank movement Down 95 places
2020
#5,703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,856
-114 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 1.96
Rank movement Up 91 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,699 | 5,581 | 2.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,794 | 5,970 | 2.02 | +389 bearers (+7.0%) | Down 95 places |
| 2020 | #5,703 | 5,856 | 1.96 | -114 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 91 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 Hemingway 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 | #5,794 | #5,703 | 1.6% |
| Count | 5,970 | 5,856 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.02 | 1.96 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hemingway bearers went from 5,970 to 5,856 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 91 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,794 to #5,703.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hemingway
FAQ
Hemingway surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hemingway?
Name Census estimates that about 6,715 living Americans carry the surname Hemingway. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,043 residents.
How common is Hemingway?
Hemingway ranks #5,703 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,856 people with the surname Hemingway. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,715), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hemingway.
Has Hemingway become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hemingway went from 5,970 recorded bearers to 5,856. That is a decrease of 114 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,794 to #5,703.
What does the Census say about the background of Hemingway?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hemingway, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.4%. The next largest groups are Black (33.8%) 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 Hemingway in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.4% (3,362 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hemingway appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.4%), Black (33.8%), 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 Hemingway (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 Hemingway mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "the road leading to Heming," likely referring to a settlement or village. 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 Hemingway (1.96 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 Hemingway?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Hemingway on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.