2000
#11,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,580
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Heiden
A German surname derived from the Middle High German word "heiden," meaning a person living on a heath or moor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,926 Americans carry the last name Heiden. That puts it at #11,742 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,141 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heiden 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
2.9K
1 in 117,141
Census rank
#11,742
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,552 bearers of the surname Heiden in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11742nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heiden, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heiden
Among Census respondents with the surname Heiden, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Heiden 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 Heiden surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 2,388
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 78
- Two or more races2.3% · 58
- Black or African American0.5% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heiden
Heiden 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
#11,938
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,620
+40 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 688 places
2020
#11,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,552
-68 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 196 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,250 | 2,580 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,938 | 2,620 | 0.89 | +40 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 688 places |
| 2020 | #11,742 | 2,552 | 0.85 | -68 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 196 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 Heiden 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 | #11,938 | #11,742 | 1.6% |
| Count | 2,620 | 2,552 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.85 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heiden bearers went from 2,620 to 2,552 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 196 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,938 to #11,742.
FAQ
Heiden surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heiden?
Name Census estimates that about 2,926 living Americans carry the surname Heiden. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,141 residents.
How common is Heiden?
Heiden ranks #11,742 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,552 people with the surname Heiden. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,926), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Heiden.
Has Heiden become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heiden went from 2,620 recorded bearers to 2,552. That is a decrease of 68 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,938 to #11,742.
What does the Census say about the background of Heiden?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heiden, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Heiden in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (2,388 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heiden appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Heiden (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 Heiden mean?
A German surname derived from the Middle High German word "heiden," meaning a person living on a heath or moor. 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 Heiden (0.85 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 are called Heiden?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Heiden is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.