2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Heiligman
A surname derived from the German term "heiligmann" meaning "holy man" or priest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Heiligman. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heiligman 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Heiligman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heiligman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heiligman
The surname HEILIGMAN has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "heilig," meaning "holy" or "sacred," and the suffix "-man," which denotes a person or an occupation. The name likely referred to a person who was associated with a religious or holy profession, such as a priest, cleric, or a member of a monastic order.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname HEILIGMAN can be found in historical documents from the regions of Bavaria and Saxony in Germany. In the 17th century, the name was also prevalent in the neighboring regions of Austria and Switzerland, indicating that the surname had spread across Central Europe.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name HEILIGMAN was Johann HEILIGMAN, a Catholic priest who lived in the city of Nuremberg in the early 16th century. Records show that he served as a chaplain in the city's St. Lorenz Church from 1515 to 1538.
In the 18th century, the HEILIGMAN family produced several notable figures. Friedrich HEILIGMAN (1714-1783) was a renowned German theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Göttingen. His brother, Johann HEILIGMAN (1718-1792), was a prominent lawyer and served as a judge in the city of Leipzig.
Another notable bearer of the name was Karl HEILIGMAN (1832-1901), a German artist and painter who specialized in landscape and genre scenes. His works were exhibited in various galleries across Europe and are now part of several museum collections.
In the 19th century, the HEILIGMAN surname also appeared in historical records from the United States, suggesting that some members of the family had immigrated to America. One such individual was August HEILIGMAN (1845-1923), a German-born businessman who settled in New York City and founded a successful import-export company.
Other notable individuals with the surname HEILIGMAN include Hans HEILIGMAN (1907-1988), a German-American physicist who contributed to the development of radar technology during World War II, and Maria HEILIGMAN (1912-1998), an Austrian-born opera singer who performed at renowned venues such as the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
While the surname HEILIGMAN originated in Germany and was historically associated with religious or monastic professions, it has since spread globally and taken on various occupations and roles throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heiligman
Among Census respondents with the surname Heiligman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Heiligman 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 Heiligman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 101
- Two or more races5.6% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heiligman
Heiligman 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-12 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,793 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,268 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 21,793 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Up 3,268 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 Heiligman 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 | #154,907 | #151,639 | 2.1% |
| Count | 105 | 107 | 1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heiligman bearers went from 105 to 107 (+1.9% change). The surname moved up 3,268 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #151,639.
FAQ
Heiligman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heiligman?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Heiligman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Heiligman?
Heiligman ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Heiligman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Heiligman.
Has Heiligman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heiligman went from 105 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 2 (+1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Heiligman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heiligman, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Heiligman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heiligman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Heiligman (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 Heiligman mean?
A surname derived from the German term "heiligmann" meaning "holy man" or priest. 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 Heiligman (0.04 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 Heiligman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.