Find out how popular the last name Heiden is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Heiden.

Heiden, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Heiden surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Heiden in America

Heiden is the 11938th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Heiden surname appeared 2,620 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Heiden.

We can also compare 2010 data for Heiden to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Heiden

The surname HEIDEN is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Westphalia. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "heiden," which means "heathen" or "pagan." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived in an area populated by non-Christians or to someone who was a convert from paganism to Christianity.

One of the earliest known references to the name HEIDEN can be found in the records of the city of Dortmund, which dates back to the 13th century. In these records, a person named Johannes Heiden is mentioned as a resident of the city.

In the 14th century, the name HEIDEN appeared in various manuscripts and records across different parts of Germany. For instance, in the records of the city of Münster, a person named Henricus Heiden was listed as a citizen in the year 1368.

During the 15th century, the HEIDEN surname gained prominence, with several notable individuals bearing the name. One such person was Johann Heiden, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1429 to 1497. He is known for his works on mysticism and his teachings at the University of Cologne.

In the 16th century, the name HEIDEN was associated with the city of Paderborn, where a family by the name of Heiden held considerable influence. One member of this family, Hermann Heiden, served as the mayor of Paderborn in the late 1500s.

Another notable figure with the surname HEIDEN was Friedrich von Heiden, a German military officer who lived from 1587 to 1647. He fought in the Thirty Years' War and rose to the rank of Field Marshal in the Imperial Army.

In the 17th century, the HEIDEN surname spread beyond Germany to other parts of Europe. For example, in the Netherlands, there was a Dutch philosopher named Abraham Heiden who lived from 1625 to 1689. He is known for his works on natural philosophy and his advocacy for religious tolerance.

As the surname HEIDEN continued to be used over the centuries, it also gave rise to various place names in Germany. For instance, there is a town called Heidenburg in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, which likely derived its name from the HEIDEN surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Heiden

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Heiden.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Heiden was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Heiden has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Heiden was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Heiden, please contact us.

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