Find out how popular the last name Halpern is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Halpern.

Halpern, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Halpern surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Halpern in America

Halpern is the 8032nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Halpern surname appeared 4,121 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Halpern.

We can also compare 2010 data for Halpern to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Halpern

The surname HALPERN is of Ashkenazic Jewish origin, tracing its roots to various regions of Eastern and Central Europe. It is believed to have emerged as a locative name, derived from the town of Halpern or Halberstadt in what is now modern-day Germany. This town's name is thought to have originated from the Old German words "hal" meaning "hall" or "manor" and "berd" meaning "hill" or "mountain."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the HALPERN surname can be found in the 16th-century tax records of the Duchy of Prussia, where a certain Abraham Halpern was listed as a resident of the town of Insterburg (now Chernyakhovsk, Russia). In the 17th century, the name appears in various Jewish community records from Poland, Ukraine, and Lithuania.

During the 18th and 19th centuries, as Jews faced persecution and sought better opportunities, many families bearing the HALPERN surname migrated westward to countries like France, England, and the United States. One notable figure from this era was Jacob Halpern (1775-1846), a prominent rabbi and scholar who served as the chief rabbi of Brest-Litovsk (now Brest, Belarus).

In the 20th century, several individuals with the HALPERN surname made significant contributions in various fields. Samuel Halpern (1888-1962) was a renowned American economist and professor at the University of Chicago. Morris Halpern (1917-2000) was a distinguished Canadian diplomat and served as the Canadian ambassador to several countries, including Israel and the Soviet Union. Benjamin S. Halpern (1922-2006) was an American anthropologist and author who specialized in the study of Southeast Asian cultures.

Other notable figures include Max Halpern (1924-2006), a Polish-born American chemist and inventor best known for his contributions to polymer science, and Manfred Halpern (1924-2015), an Austrian-American conductor and music director who led several prestigious orchestras throughout his career.

While the HALPERN surname has its origins in Eastern and Central Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with families bearing this name making their mark in diverse fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human history and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Halpern

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Halpern.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Halpern was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Halpern has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Halpern was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Halpern, please contact us.

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