2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Heben
A variant of the German surname "Heben", possibly referring to one who lifts or raises.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Heben. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heben 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Heben in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heben, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (27.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heben
The surname HEBEN has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 15th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "heben," which means "to raise" or "to lift." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person's occupation or physical attribute related to lifting or raising objects.
One of the earliest recorded references to the HEBEN surname can be found in the town records of Augsburg, Germany, from the late 1400s. These records document the presence of a family named HEBEN residing in the area during that time period.
In the 16th century, there are mentions of the HEBEN name in various historical documents across southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Some of these records include tax records, church registries, and legal documents.
Notable individuals bearing the HEBEN surname throughout history include Johann HEBEN (1550-1616), a prominent merchant and landowner from Nuremberg, and Hans HEBEN (1625-1689), a skilled blacksmith and metalworker based in Bamberg.
Another prominent figure was Maria HEBEN (1720-1784), a renowned midwife and herbalist from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Her expertise in traditional medicine and childbirth practices was highly respected in her community.
In the 18th century, the HEBEN name was also found in various villages and towns across the German states of Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. For instance, records from the village of Oberkirchen in Hesse mention a family named HEBEN residing there in the late 1700s.
One of the earliest known individuals with the HEBEN surname in the United States was Friedrich HEBEN (1810-1892), who immigrated from Bavaria to Pennsylvania in the 1840s. He worked as a farmer and later became a respected member of the local German-American community.
While the HEBEN surname may not be as widespread as some other German names, it has a rich history and can be traced back to its roots in southern Germany several centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heben
Among Census respondents with the surname Heben, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (27.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Heben 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 Heben surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.3% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino27.2% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heben
Heben appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+11 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,739 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 10,739 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 Heben 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 | #157,234 | #146,495 | 6.8% |
| Count | 103 | 114 | 10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heben bearers went from 103 to 114 (+10.7% change). The surname moved up 10,739 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #146,495.
FAQ
Heben surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heben?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Heben. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Heben?
Heben ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Heben. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Heben.
Has Heben become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heben went from 103 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 11 (+10.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Heben?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heben, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (27.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.5%). 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 Heben in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.3% (71 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heben appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.3%), Hispanic (27.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (10.5%). 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 Heben (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 Heben mean?
A variant of the German surname "Heben", possibly referring to one who lifts or raises. 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 Heben (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 have the surname Heben?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.