2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hefta
A surname indicating a person from or associated with the town of Hefta.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Hefta. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hefta 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Hefta in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hefta, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hefta
The surname HEFTA is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, Germany, during the medieval period around the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "haft," which means "bond" or "tie," suggesting a possible connection to an occupation or a place name related to tying or binding.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the HEFTA surname can be found in the Bavarian town records of Augsburg, dating back to the late 14th century. A certain Heinrich Hefta was mentioned as a respected member of the local guild of rope makers, further supporting the theory of the name's occupational origins.
In the 16th century, the HEFTA name appeared in various historical documents across southern Germany, such as the Nuremberg Chronicles, a famous illustrated world history published in 1493. This indicates that the family had already established a presence in the region by that time.
During the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the HEFTA surname was Johann Hefta (1610-1680), a renowned theologian and philosopher from the town of Nördlingen. His scholarly works on ethics and moral philosophy were widely influential during the Baroque period.
In the 18th century, the HEFTA name gained prominence in the arts, with the painter and engraver Franz Xaver Hefta (1735-1809) from Munich. His intricate etchings of architectural landmarks and landscapes are considered significant contributions to the Bavarian art scene of that era.
Another noteworthy individual was Karl Hefta (1812-1891), a German industrialist who established one of the first successful textile factories in the town of Aschaffenburg. His innovative business practices and philanthropic efforts left a lasting impact on the local community.
As the HEFTA family spread across different regions of Germany over the centuries, various spellings and variations of the name emerged, such as Heffta, Hefftner, and Heftner. However, the core meaning and origin remained closely tied to the concept of binding or tying, reflecting the family's historical connections to occupations and places related to this theme.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hefta
Among Census respondents with the surname Hefta, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Hefta 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 Hefta surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 104
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hefta
Hefta 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
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-10 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,370 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 8,370 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 Hefta 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 | #145,220 | #153,590 | -5.8% |
| Count | 114 | 104 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hefta bearers went from 114 to 104 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 8,370 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #153,590.
FAQ
Hefta surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hefta?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Hefta. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Hefta?
Hefta ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Hefta. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Hefta.
Has Hefta become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hefta went from 114 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Hefta?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hefta, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Hefta in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hefta appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Hefta (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 Hefta mean?
A surname indicating a person from or associated with the town of Hefta. 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 Hefta (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 Americans have the surname Hefta?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.