2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Heege
German surname derived from a topographic name for someone living on a hill or ridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Heege. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heege 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Heege in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heege, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heege
The surname "HEEGE" is of German origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the Low German word "hege," which means "hedge" or "enclosure." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived near or maintained hedges or fences.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "HEEGE" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the state of Saxony, Germany, dating back to the 13th century. The name appears in various forms, such as "Hegen," "Heygen," and "Heyge," reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.
In the 14th century, the name "HEEGE" was mentioned in the Lübecker Oberstadtbuch, an important historical record of the city of Lübeck, which was a prominent member of the Hanseatic League. This suggests that individuals with this surname may have been involved in trade or other commercial activities within the league.
One notable individual with the surname "HEEGE" was Johann Heege, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1592 to 1658. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran Church and authored several works on theology and philosophy.
Another historical figure was Friedrich Heege, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1732 to 1798. He was known for his landscape paintings and engravings, many of which depicted scenes from the German countryside.
In the 18th century, the name "HEEGE" can be found in the records of the Principality of Ansbach, a former state in present-day Bavaria, Germany. The records mention individuals with this surname holding various positions, such as farmers, craftsmen, and civil servants.
The surname "HEEGE" has also been associated with notable figures in literature and academia. One example is Hans Heege, a German philologist and professor who lived from 1892 to 1966. He was known for his contributions to the study of German language and literature.
Another individual with the surname "HEEGE" was Walther Heege, a German-American physicist who lived from 1918 to 2008. He made significant contributions to the field of solid-state physics and was recognized for his work on semiconductor materials.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heege
Among Census respondents with the surname Heege, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Heege 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 Heege surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 6
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heege
Heege 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
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+9 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,012 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 8,012 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 Heege 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 | #153,769 | #145,757 | 5.2% |
| Count | 106 | 115 | 8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heege bearers went from 106 to 115 (+8.5% change). The surname moved up 8,012 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #145,757.
FAQ
Heege surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heege?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Heege. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Heege?
Heege ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Heege. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Heege.
Has Heege become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heege went from 106 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 9 (+8.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Heege?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heege, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Heege in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heege appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (5.2%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Heege (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 Heege mean?
German surname derived from a topographic name for someone living on a hill or ridge. 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 Heege (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 Heege?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.