2000
#2,569
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,953
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.80
Uncommon Last name
Hein
A German and Jewish surname derived from a shortened form of Heinrich, meaning "home ruler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,112 Americans carry the last name Hein. That puts it at #2,854 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,288 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hein 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 Hein with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,288
Census rank
#2,854
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,306 bearers of the surname Hein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2854th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hein, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hein
The surname Hein is of German origin and derived from the personal name Hein, which is a diminutive or pet form of the Germanic name Heinrich. The name Heinrich is composed of the elements "heim" meaning home and "ric" meaning power or ruler.
The earliest recorded examples of the surname Hein date back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany. One of the earliest recorded instances was in 1292 when a Heinricus Hein was mentioned in records from the town of Göttingen.
In the 14th century, there are references to a Conradus dictus Hein, recorded in 1348 in the town of Worms. The "dictus" (meaning "called") indicates that Hein was likely a nickname or surname at that time.
The Hein surname also appeared in various medieval manuscripts and records, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of documents from the former Principality of Anhalt, where a Nikolaus Hein was mentioned in 1438.
One notable person with the surname Hein was Johannes Hein (c. 1510-1582), a German Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation movement. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and served as a pastor in several cities, including Wittenberg.
Another individual of note was Johann Hein (1588-1647), a German composer and organist who was active in the early Baroque period. He is known for his contributions to the development of the chorale and organ music in Germany.
In the 19th century, Carl Hein (1808-1857) was a German landscape painter and etcher, known for his depictions of the Bavarian Alps and the areas around Munich.
The surname Hein also has connections to place names, such as the village of Heinbach in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, which likely derived its name from a person named Hein who lived or owned land in that area.
Overall, the surname Hein has a long history in German-speaking regions, with its origins dating back to the medieval period and associated with the personal name Heinrich and its diminutive form Hein.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hein
Among Census respondents with the surname Hein, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hein 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 Hein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 11,084
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 403
- Two or more races3.1% · 381
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 345
- Black or African American0.4% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 45
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hein
Hein 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
#2,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,586
-367 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 4.27
Rank movement Down 296 places
2020
#2,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,306
-280 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 4.12
Rank movement Up 11 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,569 | 12,953 | 4.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,865 | 12,586 | 4.27 | -367 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 296 places |
| 2020 | #2,854 | 12,306 | 4.12 | -280 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 11 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 Hein 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 | #2,865 | #2,854 | 0.4% |
| Count | 12,586 | 12,306 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.27 | 4.12 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hein bearers went from 12,586 to 12,306 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 11 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,865 to #2,854.
FAQ
Hein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hein?
Name Census estimates that about 14,112 living Americans carry the surname Hein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,288 residents.
How common is Hein?
Hein ranks #2,854 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,306 people with the surname Hein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Hein.
Has Hein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hein went from 12,586 recorded bearers to 12,306. That is a decrease of 280 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,865 to #2,854.
What does the Census say about the background of Hein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hein, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Hein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (11,084 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Hein (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 Hein mean?
A German and Jewish surname derived from a shortened form of Heinrich, meaning "home ruler." 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 Hein (4.12 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 Americans have the surname Hein?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.