2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Hehnly
A variant spelling of the German surname Heinly, originating from a nickname for a male derived from the personal name Heinrich.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Hehnly. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hehnly 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Hehnly in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hehnly, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hehnly
The surname Hehnly originated in Germany during the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "hahn," meaning rooster or cock, and was likely an occupational name for someone who raised or bred poultry. The name was first recorded in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas surrounding the Black Forest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hehnly can be found in the parish records of the town of Freiburg im Breisgau, dated 1594. The entry mentions a certain Hans Hehnly, who was a farmer and poultry breeder. In the following centuries, variations of the name, such as Hehnlin, Hehnlein, and Hehnel, appeared in various records across southern Germany.
During the 17th century, the Hehnly family seemed to have established a presence in the town of Offenburg, located in the modern-day state of Baden-Württemberg. The town's records from 1632 mention a Jakob Hehnly, who served as a council member and was involved in local politics.
In the early 19th century, a notable figure with the surname Hehnly was Johann Hehnly (1786-1853), a German theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Heidelberg. His works on ethics and moral philosophy were widely influential during his lifetime.
Another significant individual bearing the name Hehnly was Wilhelmine Hehnly (1830-1901), a pioneering German feminist and advocate for women's rights. She was one of the founders of the Allgemeiner Deutscher Frauenverein (General German Women's Association) and played a crucial role in the early women's movement in Germany.
The surname Hehnly can also be traced back to the town of Freudenstadt in the Black Forest region. The local records from the late 18th century mention a family of craftsmen and woodworkers with the surname Hehnly, who were renowned for their intricate woodcarvings and furniture making.
Throughout its history, the surname Hehnly has been associated with various occupations, ranging from farming and poultry breeding to craftsmanship and academia. While the name may have originated as an occupational surname, it has since become a proud part of German heritage and cultural identity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hehnly
Among Census respondents with the surname Hehnly, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Hehnly 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 Hehnly surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 102
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hehnly
Hehnly 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
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 6,220 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 6,220 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 Hehnly 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 | #160,975 | #154,755 | 3.9% |
| Count | 100 | 102 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hehnly bearers went from 100 to 102 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 6,220 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #154,755.
FAQ
Hehnly surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hehnly?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Hehnly. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Hehnly?
Hehnly ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Hehnly. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Hehnly.
Has Hehnly become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hehnly went from 100 recorded bearers to 102. That is an increase of 2 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Hehnly?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hehnly, 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 Hehnly in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hehnly 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 Hehnly (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 Hehnly mean?
A variant spelling of the German surname Heinly, originating from a nickname for a male derived from the personal name Heinrich. 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 Hehnly (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 surname Hehnly?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.