2000
#10,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,958
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Haffner
A German occupational surname referring to a potter or stovemaker, derived from the Middle High German word "hafener."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,281 Americans carry the last name Haffner. That puts it at #10,664 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 104,466 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Haffner 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 Haffner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 104,466
Census rank
#10,664
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,861 bearers of the surname Haffner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10664th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Haffner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Haffner
The surname Haffner is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, where it was likely derived from the Old German word "hafo," which means "pot" or "cauldron." This suggests that the name may have been occupational, referring to someone who made or worked with pots or cauldrons.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Haffner can be found in the Bavarian town of Nürnberg, where a certain Hans Haffner was mentioned in a document dated 1418. This document, a register of citizens, provides valuable insight into the prevalence of the name in that area during the 15th century.
In the following centuries, the name Haffner continued to appear in various records across Germany. In the 16th century, a prominent individual named Johann Haffner (1497-1548) was a respected theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. His writings and teachings had a lasting impact on the religious landscape of the time.
During the 17th century, the Haffner family seemed to have established a strong presence in the city of Dresden, Saxony. In a census record from 1688, several Haffner households were listed, including that of a certain Heinrich Haffner, a wealthy merchant and landowner.
Another notable figure with the surname Haffner was Carl Philipp Haffner (1767-1831), a German composer and musician who lived during the Classical period. He was a contemporary of Mozart and is best known for his contributions to the development of the concerto form.
In the 19th century, the name Haffner appeared in various places across Germany, including the regions of Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. One prominent individual was Johann Jakob Haffner (1815-1891), a German-American painter and lithographer who emigrated to the United States and became known for his landscapes and portraits of Native Americans.
Over the course of history, the surname Haffner has been associated with a diverse range of professions and achievements, from religious leaders and scholars to artists and entrepreneurs. While its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Bavaria, the name has since spread across Germany and beyond, carrying with it a rich heritage and a fascinating story of its own.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Haffner
Among Census respondents with the surname Haffner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Haffner 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 Haffner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.9% · 2,542
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 151
- Two or more races3.8% · 109
- Black or African American1.1% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Haffner
Haffner 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
#10,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,170
+212 bearers (+7.2%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 127 places
2020
#10,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,861
-309 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 488 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,049 | 2,958 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,176 | 3,170 | 1.07 | +212 bearers (+7.2%) | Down 127 places |
| 2020 | #10,664 | 2,861 | 0.96 | -309 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 488 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 Haffner 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 | #10,176 | #10,664 | -4.8% |
| Count | 3,170 | 2,861 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 0.96 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Haffner bearers went from 3,170 to 2,861 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 488 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,176 to #10,664.
FAQ
Haffner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Haffner?
Name Census estimates that about 3,281 living Americans carry the surname Haffner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 104,466 residents.
How common is Haffner?
Haffner ranks #10,664 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.96 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,861 people with the surname Haffner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,281), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.96 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Haffner.
Has Haffner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Haffner went from 3,170 recorded bearers to 2,861. That is a decrease of 309 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,176 to #10,664.
What does the Census say about the background of Haffner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Haffner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Haffner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.9% (2,542 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Haffner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.9%), Hispanic (5.3%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Haffner (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 Haffner mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a potter or stovemaker, derived from the Middle High German word "hafener." 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 Haffner (0.96 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 Americans have the surname Haffner?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.