2000
#1,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,857
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.70
Uncommon Last name
Hewitt
A surname of Welsh origin meaning "heart, mind, or spirit," derived from the Old English word "hiwa."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,710 Americans carry the last name Hewitt. That puts it at #1,211 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,479 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hewitt 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 Hewitt with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
33K
1 in 10,479
Census rank
#1,211
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,525 bearers of the surname Hewitt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1211th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hewitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hewitt
The surname Hewitt has its origins in England, tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "hiwan" or "hywan," meaning a household servant or a member of a household. The name may have initially referred to someone who worked in the household of a prominent family or landowner.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Huiet." This record suggests that the name was already in use during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name evolved into various spellings, such as "Hewet," "Hewett," and "Hewitt." These variations likely arose from regional pronunciations and the lack of standardized spelling at the time.
The surname Hewitt is also closely associated with certain place names in England. For example, the village of Hewitt in Gloucestershire and the town of Hewitt in Somerset may have contributed to the adoption of the name by families residing in those areas.
One notable individual bearing the surname Hewitt was Sir John Hewitt (c. 1470-1537), an English lawyer and judge who served as Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench during the reign of Henry VIII.
Another prominent figure was Sarah Hewitt (c. 1624-1683), an English Quaker preacher and author who wrote extensively on religious topics and advocated for women's rights.
In the 18th century, John Hewitt (1714-1767) was a distinguished English composer and organist who contributed significantly to the development of church music.
Moving into the 19th century, William Hewitt (1809-1888) was a prominent English writer and journalist who published works on various historical and literary subjects.
Lastly, Charles Gordon Hewitt (1885-1920) was a Canadian entomologist and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of insects and their impact on agriculture.
These examples demonstrate the longevity and diverse accomplishments associated with the Hewitt surname throughout history, spanning various fields and regions across England and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hewitt
Among Census respondents with the surname Hewitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hewitt 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 Hewitt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.0% · 22,545
- Black or African American12.1% · 3,441
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,182
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 982
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 229
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 146
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hewitt
Hewitt 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
#1,191
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,694
+837 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 10.07
Rank movement Down 77 places
2020
#1,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,525
-1,169 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 9.54
Rank movement Down 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,114 | 28,857 | 10.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,191 | 29,694 | 10.07 | +837 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 77 places |
| 2020 | #1,211 | 28,525 | 9.54 | -1,169 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 20 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 Hewitt 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 | #1,191 | #1,211 | -1.7% |
| Count | 29,694 | 28,525 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 10.07 | 9.54 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hewitt bearers went from 29,694 to 28,525 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,191 to #1,211.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hewitt
FAQ
Hewitt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hewitt?
Name Census estimates that about 32,710 living Americans carry the surname Hewitt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,479 residents.
How common is Hewitt?
Hewitt ranks #1,211 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,525 people with the surname Hewitt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,710), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Hewitt.
Has Hewitt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hewitt went from 29,694 recorded bearers to 28,525. That is a decrease of 1,169 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,191 to #1,211.
What does the Census say about the background of Hewitt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hewitt, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.0%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hewitt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.0% (22,545 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hewitt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.0%), Black (12.1%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Hewitt (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 Hewitt mean?
A surname of Welsh origin meaning "heart, mind, or spirit," derived from the Old English word "hiwa." 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 Hewitt (9.54 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 are called Hewitt?
See how many Americans have the surname Hewitt on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.