2000
#111,740
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 146
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hebbel
A German surname derived from the Middle Low German word 'hevel', meaning 'herd'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Hebbel. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hebbel 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Hebbel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hebbel, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hebbel
The surname Hebbel is of German origin, originating from the northern regions of Germany in the medieval period around the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "hebel," which means "lever" or "crowbar," suggesting a possible occupational origin for the name, perhaps as a reference to someone who worked with levers or crowbars.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hebbel can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Mecklenburg in northern Germany, dating back to the 14th century. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Hebbel," "Hebel," and "Hevel," indicating the fluidity of surname spellings during that time.
In the 16th century, the surname Hebbel was mentioned in the records of the city of Hamburg, where a certain Johann Hebbel was listed as a merchant and citizen. This suggests that the name had already spread to urban centers by that time.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Hebbel was the German poet, playwright, and critic Christian Friedrich Hebbel (1813-1863), who is considered a prominent figure in the development of German poetic realism. His works, such as the plays "Maria Magdalena" and "Die Nibelungen," explored themes of social criticism and the conflict between individual desires and societal norms.
Another notable bearer of the name was the German philosopher and theologian Johann Peter Hebbel (1775-1846), who was a professor at the University of Heidelberg and made significant contributions to the field of Christian apologetics.
In the 19th century, the name Hebbel appeared in the records of the town of Husum, located in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. One such record mentions a certain Hinrich Hebbel, who was a merchant and landowner in the region.
The surname Hebbel can also be found in historical records from other parts of northern Europe, such as Denmark and the Netherlands, suggesting that the name may have spread beyond its German origins through migration and trade.
While the surname Hebbel is not among the most common German surnames today, it has a rich historical heritage and has been borne by notable figures in various fields, particularly in literature and academia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hebbel
Among Census respondents with the surname Hebbel, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Hebbel 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 Hebbel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 117
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hebbel
Hebbel 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
-13 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 16,509 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-16 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,021 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #111,740 | 146 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | -13 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 16,509 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 16,021 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 Hebbel 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 | #128,249 | #144,270 | -12.5% |
| Count | 133 | 117 | -12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hebbel bearers went from 133 to 117 (-12.0% change). The surname moved down 16,021 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #144,270.
FAQ
Hebbel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hebbel?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Hebbel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Hebbel?
Hebbel ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Hebbel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Hebbel.
Has Hebbel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hebbel went from 133 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 16 (-12.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Hebbel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hebbel, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Hebbel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hebbel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Hebbel (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 Hebbel mean?
A German surname derived from the Middle Low German word 'hevel', meaning 'herd'. 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 Hebbel (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 Americans have the surname Hebbel?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.