2000
#55,124
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 349
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Heyes
An English surname derived from a place name referring to a hedge or hedged enclosure.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 738 Americans carry the last name Heyes. That puts it at #37,209 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 464,437 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heyes 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 Heyes with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
738
1 in 464,437
Census rank
#37,209
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
644
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 644 bearers of the surname Heyes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37209th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heyes, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (32.9%) and Black (7.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heyes
The surname HEYES originated in England, likely in the early medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "hege," which referred to a hedge or enclosure, suggesting that the name may have been originally borne by someone who lived near a hedged or enclosed area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HEYES can be found in the Lancashire Inquests, Extents, and Feudal Aids, dated around 1310, where a person named William de Heyes is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in the region of Lancashire by the early 14th century.
In the 15th century, the HEYES surname appears in various historical records, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1428, where a John Heyes is listed. The Feet of Fines were legal documents recording land transfers, indicating that the HEYES family had established itself as landowners during this period.
The HEYES surname is also associated with several place names, such as Heyes in Cheshire and Heyes in Lancashire. These place names likely derived from the Old English word "hege," further reinforcing the connection between the surname and the concept of an enclosed or hedged area.
One notable figure with the surname HEYES was John Heyes (c. 1545 - c. 1610), an English poet and playwright during the Elizabethan era. He is best known for his work "The Overthrow of Stage-Playes," which criticized the theater and plays of his time.
Another prominent individual was Thomas Heyes (1784 - 1859), an English engraver and artist who produced numerous illustrations for books and periodicals in the early 19th century.
In the field of science, James Heyes (1844 - 1915) was a British botanist and entomologist who made significant contributions to the study of plant galls and insects that cause them.
The HEYES surname also has a connection to the legal profession, with Sir Edward Heyes (1847 - 1917) serving as a judge in the High Court of Justice in England.
Lastly, the name is associated with the military through figures like Captain William Heyes (1821 - 1894), a British army officer who served in the Crimean War and the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heyes
Among Census respondents with the surname Heyes, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (32.9%) and Black (7.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Heyes 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 Heyes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.2% · 362
- Hispanic or Latino32.9% · 212
- Black or African American7.3% · 47
- Two or more races1.7% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heyes
Heyes 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
#63,218
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 316
-33 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 8,094 places
2020
#37,209
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 644
+328 bearers (+103.8%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Up 26,009 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #55,124 | 349 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #63,218 | 316 | 0.11 | -33 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 8,094 places |
| 2020 | #37,209 | 644 | 0.22 | +328 bearers (+103.8%) | Up 26,009 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 Heyes 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 | #63,218 | #37,209 | 41.1% |
| Count | 316 | 644 | 103.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.22 | 95.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heyes bearers went from 316 to 644 (+103.8% change). The surname moved up 26,009 positions in the national ranking, going from #63,218 to #37,209.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Heyes
FAQ
Heyes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heyes?
Name Census estimates that about 738 living Americans carry the surname Heyes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 464,437 residents.
How common is Heyes?
Heyes ranks #37,209 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.22 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 644 people with the surname Heyes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (738), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.22 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 Heyes.
Has Heyes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heyes went from 316 recorded bearers to 644. That is an increase of 328 (+103.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #63,218 to #37,209.
What does the Census say about the background of Heyes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heyes, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (32.9%) and Black (7.3%). 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 Heyes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.2% (362 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heyes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.2%), Hispanic (32.9%), Black (7.3%). 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 Heyes (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 Heyes mean?
An English surname derived from a place name referring to a hedge or hedged enclosure. 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 Heyes (0.22 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 Americans have the surname Heyes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.