2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hartwigsen
A German surname denoting one from a place name or farm named Hartwig.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Hartwigsen. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hartwigsen 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.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Hartwigsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartwigsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hartwigsen
The surname Hartwigsen has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Hartwig, which is composed of the elements "hart" meaning "stag" or "deer" and "wig" meaning "battle" or "fighter." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was a skilled hunter or warrior.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hartwigsen can be found in the church records of the town of Lübeck, where a man named Hans Hartwigsen was listed as a merchant in the year 1587. This indicates that the name was present in the northern German region during the late Renaissance period.
The Hartwigsen name has also been associated with the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where it is believed to have originated in the village of Hartwigsdorf. This village, now known as Hartwig, was likely named after an early settler or landowner with the surname Hartwig or Hartwigsen.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Hartwigsen surname. One such figure was Johann Hartwigsen (1568-1631), a German theologian and author who wrote extensively on topics related to Lutheranism and the Protestant Reformation.
Another prominent Hartwigsen was Hans-Joachim Hartwigsen (1721-1798), a German merchant and shipowner who played a significant role in the development of the city of Lübeck's maritime trade during the 18th century.
In the realm of science, the name Hartwigsen is associated with Christian Hartwigsen (1820-1891), a Danish botanist and plant collector who contributed to the study of the flora of Greenland and the Arctic regions.
Perhaps the most famous bearer of the Hartwigsen surname was Gerd Hartwigsen (1921-2004), a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). He served as a member of the Bundestag (the German federal parliament) from 1965 to 1987.
While the Hartwigsen name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and the world, with variations in spelling and pronunciation occurring over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hartwigsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartwigsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hartwigsen 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 Hartwigsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 97
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hartwigsen
Hartwigsen 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+20 bearers (+18.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,377 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-24 bearers (-18.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,610 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +20 bearers (+18.3%) | Up 9,377 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-18.6%) | Down 21,610 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 Hartwigsen 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 | #131,379 | #152,989 | -16.4% |
| Count | 129 | 105 | -18.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hartwigsen bearers went from 129 to 105 (-18.6% change). The surname moved down 21,610 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #152,989.
FAQ
Hartwigsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hartwigsen?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Hartwigsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Hartwigsen?
Hartwigsen ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 105 people with the surname Hartwigsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Hartwigsen.
Has Hartwigsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hartwigsen went from 129 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 24 (-18.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Hartwigsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartwigsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Hartwigsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hartwigsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Hartwigsen (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 Hartwigsen mean?
A German surname denoting one from a place name or farm named Hartwig. 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 Hartwigsen (0.04 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 share the surname Hartwigsen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.