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

Heilig, 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 Heilig surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Heilig in America

Heilig is the 15533rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Heilig surname appeared 1,884 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 Heilig.

We can also compare 2010 data for Heilig 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 Heilig

The surname HEILIG is of German origin, derived from the Old German word "heilig" meaning "holy" or "sacred." It is believed to have originated in the regions of Bavaria and Austria, where it was first recorded in the 13th century.

One of the earliest documented instances of the HEILIG surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical records from Saxony, dated to the year 1297. This record mentions a "Conradus Heilig" from the town of Meissen.

During the medieval period, the HEILIG surname was often associated with individuals who had religious occupations or were involved in church-related activities. It is possible that the name was originally bestowed upon a person who was considered particularly devout or engaged in sacred duties.

In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the HEILIG surname was Johannes Heilig, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1440 to 1516. He was a prominent figure in the early stages of the Protestant Reformation and authored several influential works on religious doctrine.

Another significant bearer of the HEILIG name was Johann Peter Heilig, a German astronomer and mathematician born in 1660. He made important contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and published several treatises on astronomical observations.

In the 18th century, Friedrich Christian Heilig, a German composer and organist, gained recognition for his compositions and performances. He was born in 1737 and served as the court organist for the Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.

The HEILIG surname has also been associated with various place names throughout Germany and Austria, such as Heiligenberg (meaning "Holy Mountain") and Heiligenstadt (meaning "Holy City"), reflecting the religious connotations of the name.

It is worth noting that the HEILIG surname has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, including Heilig, Heylig, Heylich, and Heilich, among others. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal conventions of the time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Heilig

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

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 Heilig 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 Heilig 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 Heilig was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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