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

Heckler, 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 Heckler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Heckler in America

Heckler is the 12043rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Heckler surname appeared 2,590 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Heckler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Heckler 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 Heckler

The surname Heckler originated in Germany, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the German word "heckler," which referred to a person who made heckles or heckle-teeth, which were the iron-toothed instruments used to comb out flax or hemp fibers in the preparation of linen cloth.

The Heckler name was first concentrated in the southern German regions of Bavaria and Swabia, where the flax and linen industries were prominent. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval German church records and tax rolls from these areas.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Heckler name was Konrad Heckler, a weaver and cloth merchant from the town of Augsburg, Bavaria, who lived in the 14th century. His name appears in several guild records and trade documents from that period.

In the 15th century, the Heckler name began to spread beyond southern Germany, with families bearing the name appearing in other parts of the Holy Roman Empire, such as Saxony and Silesia. Records from this time show variations in spelling, including Heckeler, Heckeller, and Heckelmann.

A notable figure in the history of the Heckler name was Hans Heckler, a Protestant theologian and reformer who lived in Nuremberg from 1495 to 1568. He played a significant role in the Reformation movement in Germany and was a close associate of Martin Luther.

Another prominent Heckler was Johann Heckler, a German astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1615 to 1681. He made important contributions to the study of comets and is credited with discovering several new stars and nebulae.

In the 19th century, the Heckler surname began to appear in various parts of Europe and the Americas, as German immigrants sought new opportunities abroad. One such individual was Friedrich Heckler, a German-American inventor and businessman who founded the Heckler & Koch firearms company in 1949.

Throughout its long history, the Heckler name has been associated with various occupations and professions, including weaving, cloth-making, astronomy, theology, and manufacturing. While its origins can be traced back to the humble trade of heckle-making in medieval Germany, the name has since become widespread and has contributed to the cultural and economic development of many regions around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Heckler

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

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

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

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