Hedlin
A Swedish surname derived from a diminutive form of the personal name Hedda.
According to the 2000 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 137 Americans carry the last name Hedlin. That puts it at #142,819 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,501,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hedlin 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.
Hedlin appeared in the 2000 Census surname file but was not included in the published 2020 file. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames with at least 100 recorded bearers, so this usually means the name fell below that threshold.
Bearers in the US
137
1 in 2,501,856
Census rank
#142,819
2000 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Hedlin in its 2000 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142819th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hedlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hedlin
The surname Hedlin is believed to have originated in Scandinavia, specifically from Sweden. The roots of the name can be traced back to the Middle Ages, a period characterized by the use of topographical surnames, referring to the geographical features of the areas where individuals lived. Hedlin is derived from the Old Norse words "heiðr," meaning "heath" or "moor," and "lín," which means "line" or "flax." The combination of these elements suggests a landscape characterized by flat, open land covered in flax or perhaps heathland.
The appearance of the surname Hedlin in historical records is relatively sparse, given its specific regional roots. One of the earliest mentions of a name with a similar etymological background is in the 14th century, when Scandinavian naming conventions began to stabilize. The Swedish archives contain references to variants such as Hedin and Hedlund, indicating an evolution in the surname's spelling over time. By the 18th century, the spelling Hedlin became more standardized as record-keeping improved.
Among the notable bearers of the name Hedlin is Lars Petter Hedlin, born in 1753, who was a well-respected public figure in his local community in Uppsala, Sweden. His contributions to local governance and charity work were documented in local parish records. Another individual, Maria Hedlin, born in 1789, is noted for her journal entries that provide valuable insights into rural Swedish life in the early 19th century.
During the 19th century, the name Hedlin appears in emigration records as Sweden experienced a significant wave of emigration. Many Swedes, including several families bearing the Hedlin surname, moved to North America in search of better opportunities. One such emigrant was Gustav Hedlin, born in 1835, who settled in Minnesota in 1862 and became known for his contributions to the growing Scandinavian-American community there.
In the realm of academia, Karl August Hedlin, born in 1891, made significant contributions to the field of botany. His research on Scandinavian flora was widely respected and his publications are still referenced today. Another notable Hedlin from a later period is Ingrid Hedlin, born in 1923, who was an influential advocate for women's rights and played a pivotal role in Swedish politics during the mid-20th century.
The surname Hedlin, with its origins deeply rooted in the Swedish landscape and culture, carries with it a history woven from the threads of geographical description, migration, and individual contributions to society. Over centuries, it has been borne by individuals who left their mark in various ways, shaping the historical narrative tied to this distinctive surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hedlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Hedlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%.
The bar chart below shows how Hedlin bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2000 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 Hedlin surname at the time of the 2000 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.3%
- Unknown or suppressed3.7%
FAQ
Hedlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hedlin?
Name Census estimates that about 137 living Americans carry the surname Hedlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,501,856 residents.
How common is Hedlin?
Hedlin ranks #142,819 in the 2000 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 2000 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Hedlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (137), 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 Hedlin.
Has Hedlin become more or less common over time?
Hedlin appears here with 2000 Census data. When additional surname-file years are available for this name, Name Census uses them to show longer-term movement in rank and bearer count.
What does the Census say about the background of Hedlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hedlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.3%. These figures come from the 2000 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 Hedlin in the 2000 Census, accounting for 96.3%.
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hedlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2000 file are White (96.3%).
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Not necessarily. Hedlin appears here with 2000 Census data, while the latest surname file loaded on Name Census is 2020. When a surname drops below the Census publication threshold, older rows can still be kept for historical reference even if the name no longer appears in the newest file.
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 Hedlin mean?
A Swedish surname derived from a diminutive form of the personal name Hedda. 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 2000 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 Hedlin (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 share the surname Hedlin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.