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

Healer, 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 Healer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Healer in America

Healer is the 103655th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Healer surname appeared 173 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Healer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Healer 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 Healer

The surname Healer is an English occupational name derived from the Old English word "hælan," meaning "to heal" or "to cure." It is believed to have originated in the 11th century, during the Anglo-Saxon period in England.

The name Healer was likely first adopted by individuals who practiced various forms of traditional medicine, such as herbalists, midwives, or healers of wounds. These individuals played an essential role in their communities, providing medical care and remedies in an era before modern medicine.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Healer appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book mentions a landowner named Ælfric se Hælere, which translates to "Aelfric the Healer."

In the 13th century, records show a Robert le Heler residing in Cambridgeshire, England. This early spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name over time.

Notable individuals with the surname Healer throughout history include:

1. John Healer (c. 1520-1594), an English physician and astrologer who served at the court of Queen Elizabeth I.
2. Elizabeth Healer (c. 1580-1650), a renowned midwife and herbalist in the village of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare.
3. Thomas Healer (1666-1737), a British surgeon who served in the Royal Navy and published influential works on maritime medicine.
4. Mary Healer (1737-1812), a renowned healer from the village of Eyam, Derbyshire, who tended to the sick during the devastating plague outbreak of 1665-1666.
5. William Healer (1802-1873), a physician and philanthropist in London, who founded the Healer Charity for the Poor, providing free medical care to the underprivileged.

The surname Healer is also connected to several place names in England, such as Healerfield in Lancashire and Healerham in Kent, suggesting that some branches of the Healer family may have derived their name from these locations.

While the surname Healer is not as common today as it once was, it remains a testament to the rich history of traditional medicine and the vital role that healers played in communities throughout the ages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Healer

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

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 Healer 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 Healer 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 Healer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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