2000
#3,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,228
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.05
Rare Last name
Heil
An occupational surname of German origin, referring to someone who heals or cures, such as a doctor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,786 Americans carry the last name Heil. That puts it at #4,497 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,011 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heil 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Heil with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 39,011
Census rank
#4,497
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,662 bearers of the surname Heil in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4497th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heil, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heil
The surname Heil originates from Germany and has its roots traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the German word "heil," which means "whole," "healthy," or "blessed." The name was initially used as a descriptive term, referring to individuals who were considered healthy or fortunate.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Heil can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from the Kingdom of Saxony, dating back to the 11th century. The name appears in various forms, such as "Heile," "Heyl," and "Heyler," indicating regional variations and spelling differences.
In the 13th century, the name Heil was mentioned in the Stadtbücher of Lübeck, a city in northern Germany. These records document the presence of individuals with the surname Heil among the citizens and tradesmen of the city.
The Heil surname has been associated with several notable figures throughout history. One prominent example is Johann Baptist Heil (1592-1647), a German Catholic theologian and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of moral theology.
Another notable individual with the Heil surname was Johann Philipp Heil (1718-1787), a German architect and master builder who designed several churches and public buildings in the Rhineland region of Germany.
In the 19th century, Carl Heil (1834-1904) was a German-American inventor and entrepreneur who founded the Heil Company, a leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles and equipment.
Later, in the 20th century, Walter Heil (1894-1976) was a German architect known for his contributions to the Heimatschutzstil (Homeland Protection Style) architectural movement, which aimed to preserve regional and traditional building styles.
It is worth noting that the surname Heil has also been associated with place names and toponyms in various regions of Germany. For example, the town of Heilbronn in Baden-Württemberg is believed to have derived its name from the combination of the word "Heil" and "Brunnen" (well or spring), suggesting a connection to a healing or blessed spring.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heil
Among Census respondents with the surname Heil, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Heil 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 Heil surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 7,024
- Two or more races3.1% · 237
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 231
- Black or African American1.1% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heil
Heil 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
#4,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,205
-23 bearers (-0.3%)
Per 100,000 2.78
Rank movement Down 366 places
2020
#4,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,662
-543 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 2.56
Rank movement Down 170 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,961 | 8,228 | 3.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,327 | 8,205 | 2.78 | -23 bearers (-0.3%) | Down 366 places |
| 2020 | #4,497 | 7,662 | 2.56 | -543 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 170 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 Heil 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 | #4,327 | #4,497 | -3.9% |
| Count | 8,205 | 7,662 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.78 | 2.56 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heil bearers went from 8,205 to 7,662 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 170 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,327 to #4,497.
FAQ
Heil surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heil?
Name Census estimates that about 8,786 living Americans carry the surname Heil. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,011 residents.
How common is Heil?
Heil ranks #4,497 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,662 people with the surname Heil. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,786), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Heil.
Has Heil become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heil went from 8,205 recorded bearers to 7,662. That is a decrease of 543 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,327 to #4,497.
What does the Census say about the background of Heil?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heil, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Heil in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (7,024 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heil appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Heil (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 Heil mean?
An occupational surname of German origin, referring to someone who heals or cures, such as a doctor. 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 Heil (2.56 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 share the surname Heil?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.