2000
#101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 210,094
First available Census row
Per 100,000 77.88
Common Last name
Henderson
Derived from a place name meaning "son of Henry" or "son of Hendry," referring to a patronymic surname.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 240,959 Americans carry the last name Henderson. That puts it at #111 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 70.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,422 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Henderson 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 Henderson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
241K
1 in 1,422
Census rank
#111
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
70.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
210K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 210,128 bearers of the surname Henderson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 70.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 111th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Henderson, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Black (32.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Henderson
The surname Henderson has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English words "henn" (chicken) and "tun" (farm or enclosure), combined to form the place name "Hentun" or "Hennedun," meaning a farm or settlement where chickens were raised.
One of the earliest recorded references to the surname can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appeared as "Hendersone" in these rolls.
The Henderson name is closely associated with the county of Ayrshire in southwestern Scotland, where it is believed to have originated. The earliest known bearer of the surname was Walter de Hendreston, who was mentioned in a charter dated 1280, granting him lands in the village of Henderstoun (now known as Henderson) near Kilwinning, Ayrshire.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the Henderson family played a significant role in the history of Scotland. In the 14th century, a notable figure was Sir John Henderson, a knight who fought alongside King Robert the Bruce during the Scottish Wars of Independence.
In the 16th century, the Henderson name gained prominence with the birth of Alexander Henderson (1583-1646), a prominent Scottish Presbyterian minister and theologian who played a pivotal role in the Scottish Reformation. He was a key figure in the drafting of the National Covenant of 1638, which sought to preserve the Presbyterian form of church government in Scotland.
Another notable bearer of the Henderson name was Thomas Henderson (1798-1844), a Scottish astronomer and mathematician. He was the first Astronomer Royal for Scotland and made significant contributions to the study of comets and the determination of stellar parallax.
In the literary world, Ebenezer Henderson (1784-1858), a Scottish Congregationalist minister and author, gained recognition for his works on biblical criticism and his translations of Icelandic literature.
The Henderson surname also found its way to the United States, where several individuals made their mark. One such person was Richard Henderson (1735-1785), a prominent judge and land speculator from Virginia, who played a key role in the establishment of the Transylvania Colony in what is now Kentucky.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals who have borne the surname Henderson throughout history, reflecting its deep roots in Scotland and its widespread influence across various fields and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Henderson
Among Census respondents with the surname Henderson, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Black (32.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Henderson 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 Henderson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.3% · 120,419
- Black or African American32.9% · 69,226
- Two or more races4.8% · 10,187
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 7,391
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1,672
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1,233
Timeline
Historical Census data for Henderson
Henderson 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
#109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 218,393
+8,299 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 74.04
Rank movement Down 8 places
2020
#111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 210,128
-8,265 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 70.30
Rank movement Down 2 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #101 | 210,094 | 77.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #109 | 218,393 | 74.04 | +8,299 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 8 places |
| 2020 | #111 | 210,128 | 70.30 | -8,265 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 2 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 Henderson 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 | #109 | #111 | -1.8% |
| Count | 218,393 | 210,128 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 74.04 | 70.30 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Henderson bearers went from 218,393 to 210,128 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 2 positions in the national ranking, going from #109 to #111.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Henderson
FAQ
Henderson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Henderson?
Name Census estimates that about 240,959 living Americans carry the surname Henderson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,422 residents.
How common is Henderson?
Henderson ranks #111 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 70.30 per 100,000 residents, which is about 70 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 210,128 people with the surname Henderson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (240,959), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 70.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 70.30 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 70 of them to have the surname Henderson.
Has Henderson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Henderson went from 218,393 recorded bearers to 210,128. That is a decrease of 8,265 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #109 to #111.
What does the Census say about the background of Henderson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Henderson, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Black (32.9%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Henderson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.3% (120,419 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Henderson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.3%), Black (32.9%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Henderson (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 Henderson mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "son of Henry" or "son of Hendry," referring to a patronymic surname. 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 Henderson (70.30 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 Henderson?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.