2000
#781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 40,283
First available Census row
Per 100,000 14.93
Uncommon Last name
Hebert
A French occupational surname for a person who cultivated or harvested grass or hay.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 44,939 Americans carry the last name Hebert. That puts it at #870 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,627 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hebert 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hebert with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
45K
1 in 7,627
Census rank
#870
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
39K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 39,189 bearers of the surname Hebert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 870th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hebert, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hebert
The surname Hebert originated in France during the medieval era. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Hugibert, which is composed of the elements "hug" meaning heart, mind, or soul, and "berht" meaning bright or illustrious. This name was introduced into France by the Franks during their conquest and settlement in the region.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Hebert can be found in various ancient documents from the 8th to 10th centuries. For example, it appears in the Cartulaire de Saint-Père de Chartres, a collection of charters and deeds from the Abbey of Saint-Père in Chartres, dating back to the 9th century.
One notable historical figure bearing this surname was Jean Hebert, a French Protestant theologian and reformer who lived from 1492 to 1556. He played a significant role in the early stages of the Protestant Reformation in France and was known for his criticisms of the Catholic Church's teachings and practices.
Another prominent individual with the name Hebert was Jacques-René Hébert, a French revolutionary leader during the French Revolution. He was born in 1757 and was executed by guillotine in 1794 for his radical views and involvement in the Reign of Terror.
In the literary realm, Marie-Hélène Hebert, a Canadian novelist and playwright, gained recognition for her works exploring themes of identity, memory, and the human condition. She was born in 1939 and passed away in 2017.
The surname Hebert has also been associated with various place names in France, such as Hebert, a commune in the Normandy region, and Herbertville, a village in the department of Manche. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname Hebert who settled in those areas.
Throughout history, the Hebert surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Hébert, Hebért, and Héberd, reflecting the influence of regional dialects and linguistic changes over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hebert
Among Census respondents with the surname Hebert, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hebert 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 Hebert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 34,282
- Black or African American4.7% · 1,858
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,411
- Two or more races3.1% · 1,199
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 245
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 194
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hebert
Hebert 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
#836
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,275
+992 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 13.99
Rank movement Down 55 places
2020
#870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 39,189
-2,086 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 13.11
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #781 | 40,283 | 14.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #836 | 41,275 | 13.99 | +992 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 55 places |
| 2020 | #870 | 39,189 | 13.11 | -2,086 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 34 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 Hebert 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 | #836 | #870 | -4.1% |
| Count | 41,275 | 39,189 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 13.99 | 13.11 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hebert bearers went from 41,275 to 39,189 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #836 to #870.
FAQ
Hebert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hebert?
Name Census estimates that about 44,939 living Americans carry the surname Hebert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,627 residents.
How common is Hebert?
Hebert ranks #870 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 13 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 39,189 people with the surname Hebert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (44,939), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 13 of them to have the surname Hebert.
Has Hebert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hebert went from 41,275 recorded bearers to 39,189. That is a decrease of 2,086 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #836 to #870.
What does the Census say about the background of Hebert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hebert, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Hebert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (34,282 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hebert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Black (4.7%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Hebert (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 Hebert mean?
A French occupational surname for a person who cultivated or harvested grass or hay. 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 Hebert (13.11 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 Hebert?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.