2000
#11,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,458
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Heid
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the Middle High German word "heide," meaning "heath" or "untilled land."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,779 Americans carry the last name Heid. That puts it at #12,263 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,337 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heid 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
2.8K
1 in 123,337
Census rank
#12,263
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,423 bearers of the surname Heid in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12263rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heid, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heid
The surname HEID is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "heit," which means "person" or "people." The name likely originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in areas such as Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HEID can be found in the Würzburg Cathedral records from the year 1283, where a certain Heinricus Heid is mentioned as a landowner. This suggests that the name was already in use during that time period.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various medieval manuscripts and documents, including the Nuremberg Chronicles of 1493. This historical text mentions a Johann Heid, who was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Nuremberg.
The HEID surname is also closely associated with the town of Heidelberg, which was founded in the 12th century. Some historians believe that the town's name may have derived from the Old High German term "Heid-el-berg," meaning "the mountain of the Heid people."
Notable individuals with the surname HEID throughout history include:
1. Johann Friedrich Heid (1753-1824), a German theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Heidelberg.
2. Karl Heid (1834-1916), a German painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and portraits.
3. Anna Heid (1892-1976), a German actress and singer who appeared in numerous films during the silent era.
4. Wilhelm Heid (1903-1980), a German Olympic athlete who competed in the 1928 Amsterdam Games and won a silver medal in the pole vault event.
5. Günter Heid (1932-2015), a German engineer and inventor who held numerous patents for his innovations in automotive technology.
While the HEID name has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, such as Heyd, Heidt, and Heide, it has maintained a strong presence in German-speaking regions, particularly in the areas where it originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heid
Among Census respondents with the surname Heid, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Heid 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 Heid surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 2,173
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 88
- Two or more races3.1% · 75
- Black or African American2.6% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heid
Heid 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
#8,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,040
+1,582 bearers (+64.4%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Up 3,479 places
2020
#12,263
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,423
-1,617 bearers (-40.0%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 4,050 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,692 | 2,458 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,213 | 4,040 | 1.37 | +1,582 bearers (+64.4%) | Up 3,479 places |
| 2020 | #12,263 | 2,423 | 0.81 | -1,617 bearers (-40.0%) | Down 4,050 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 Heid 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 | #8,213 | #12,263 | -49.3% |
| Count | 4,040 | 2,423 | -40.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 0.81 | -40.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heid bearers went from 4,040 to 2,423 (-40.0% change). The surname moved down 4,050 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,213 to #12,263.
FAQ
Heid surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heid?
Name Census estimates that about 2,779 living Americans carry the surname Heid. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,337 residents.
How common is Heid?
Heid ranks #12,263 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,423 people with the surname Heid. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,779), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Heid.
Has Heid become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heid went from 4,040 recorded bearers to 2,423. That is a decrease of 1,617 (-40.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,213 to #12,263.
What does the Census say about the background of Heid?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heid, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Heid in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (2,173 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heid appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Heid (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 Heid mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the Middle High German word "heide," meaning "heath" or "untilled land." 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 Heid (0.81 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 Heid?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.