2000
#14,544
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,879
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Heer
A German occupational surname referring to a lord or master, or an army commander or leader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,273 Americans carry the last name Heer. That puts it at #14,475 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 150,794 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heer 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 Heer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.3K
1 in 150,794
Census rank
#14,475
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,982 bearers of the surname Heer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14475th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heer, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (21.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heer
The surname HEER is of German origin, first appearing around the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "herre," meaning "lord" or "master." Initially, it was used as a title for those of noble or distinguished status.
In its earliest recorded usage, the name HEER was often associated with individuals who held positions of authority or were landowners. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the records of the city of Cologne, where a certain Hermann Heer is mentioned as a respected citizen in 1287.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it evolved into various spellings, such as Heer, Herr, and Herren. These variations reflected the local dialects and the influence of different scribes who recorded the name.
The name HEER also holds a connection to certain place names. For example, the town of Heerlen in the Netherlands, formerly known as "Heerlerbaan," is believed to have derived its name from a combination of the German word "Heer" and the Dutch word "leen," meaning "fief" or "estate."
Notable individuals who bore the surname HEER include:
1. Oswald Heer (1809-1883), a Swiss botanist and entomologist, known for his contributions to the study of fossil plants.
2. Johann Jakob Heer (1787-1865), a Swiss politician and member of the Cantonal Council of St. Gallen.
3. Friedrich Heer (1916-1983), an Austrian writer and historian, renowned for his works on the history of ideas and cultural criticism.
4. Georg Eduard Heer (1835-1904), a Swiss businessman and politician who served as a member of the National Council of Switzerland.
5. Heinrich Heer (1838-1919), a Swiss architect known for his work on various churches and public buildings in Switzerland.
While the name HEER has its roots in medieval Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, carried by individuals and families who migrated or were displaced over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heer
Among Census respondents with the surname Heer, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (21.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Heer 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 Heer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.6% · 1,439
- Asian and Pacific Islander21.8% · 432
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 51
- Two or more races2.2% · 44
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heer
Heer 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
#14,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,007
+128 bearers (+6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 243 places
2020
#14,475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,982
-25 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 312 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,544 | 1,879 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,787 | 2,007 | 0.68 | +128 bearers (+6.8%) | Down 243 places |
| 2020 | #14,475 | 1,982 | 0.66 | -25 bearers (-1.2%) | Up 312 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 Heer 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 | #14,787 | #14,475 | 2.1% |
| Count | 2,007 | 1,982 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.66 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heer bearers went from 2,007 to 1,982 (-1.2% change). The surname moved up 312 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,787 to #14,475.
FAQ
Heer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,273 living Americans carry the surname Heer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 150,794 residents.
How common is Heer?
Heer ranks #14,475 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,982 people with the surname Heer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,273), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Heer.
Has Heer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heer went from 2,007 recorded bearers to 1,982. That is a decrease of 25 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,787 to #14,475.
What does the Census say about the background of Heer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heer, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.6%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (21.8%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Heer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.6% (1,439 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (21.8%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Heer (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 Heer mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a lord or master, or an army commander or leader. 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 Heer (0.66 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 Heer?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.