2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Heffelmire
A surname possibly derived from a German or Dutch placename referring to a mire or marsh region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Heffelmire. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heffelmire 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Heffelmire in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heffelmire, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heffelmire
The surname Heffelmire has its roots in the German language, and it is believed to have originated in the late 15th or early 16th century. The name is likely derived from the German word "Heffel," which means "hatchet" or "small axe," and "mire," which means "swamp" or "marsh." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a swampy area where woodcutting was a common activity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Heffelmire can be found in the records of the town of Heidelberg, Germany, from the year 1532. Here, the name appears as "Heffelmeier," which is a variation of the modern spelling. This early record suggests that the name may have been associated with a specific region or village in Germany before spreading to other areas.
In the 17th century, the name Heffelmire began to appear in various regions of Europe, including the Netherlands and France. This was likely due to migration and the movement of people during this time period. One notable individual with this surname was Johannes Heffelmire, a Dutch merchant born in 1642 who established trade routes between the Netherlands and the American colonies.
As the name spread across Europe, it also made its way to the British Isles. In 1712, a record from the parish of St. Mary's in London mentions a William Heffelmire, who was a blacksmith by trade. This indicates that the name had traveled from its German origins and had become established in England by the early 18th century.
Another notable individual with the surname Heffelmire was Friedrich Heffelmire, a German philosopher and writer who lived from 1765 to 1837. He was known for his work on ethics and moral philosophy, and his writings were influential in the intellectual circles of his time.
In the 19th century, the Heffelmire name began to appear in the United States, likely as a result of immigration from Europe. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was that of Jacob Heffelmire, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1822. He later became a farmer and landowner in the state.
Throughout history, the surname Heffelmire has been associated with various occupations and professions, from merchants and blacksmiths to philosophers and landowners. While the name may have originated in a specific region of Germany, it has since spread across the globe, with individuals bearing this surname making their mark in various fields and cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heffelmire
Among Census respondents with the surname Heffelmire, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Heffelmire 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 Heffelmire surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heffelmire
Heffelmire 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+16 bearers (+15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,104 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-19 bearers (-16.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,865 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+15.7%) | Up 7,104 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -19 bearers (-16.1%) | Down 14,865 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 Heffelmire 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 | #141,140 | #156,005 | -10.5% |
| Count | 118 | 99 | -16.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heffelmire bearers went from 118 to 99 (-16.1% change). The surname moved down 14,865 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #156,005.
FAQ
Heffelmire surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heffelmire?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Heffelmire. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Heffelmire?
Heffelmire ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Heffelmire. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Heffelmire.
Has Heffelmire become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heffelmire went from 118 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 19 (-16.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Heffelmire?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heffelmire, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Heffelmire in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heffelmire appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Heffelmire (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 Heffelmire mean?
A surname possibly derived from a German or Dutch placename referring to a mire or marsh region. 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 Heffelmire (0.03 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 last name Heffelmire?
See how many people have the last name Heffelmire on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.