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

Heine, 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 Heine surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Heine in America

Heine is the 6681st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Heine surname appeared 5,054 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Heine.

We can also compare 2010 data for Heine 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 Heine

The surname HEINE has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is a topographic name, derived from the Old High German word "hag" or "hain," meaning "hedge," "grove," or "thicket." This suggests that the name was originally given to someone who lived near a hedgerow or wooded area.

The name is found in various historical records from the 13th century onwards, including the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of medieval documents relating to the Margraviate of Brandenburg. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in 1295, when a certain Henricus dictus Heine (Henry called Heine) is mentioned in a document from the city of Cologne.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, such as Heyne, Heyn, and Hein, reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Johann Heine (c. 1350-1420), a German theologian and preacher who served as the rector of the University of Erfurt.

During the Renaissance, the name continued to be associated with scholars and intellectuals. Heinrich Heine (1797-1856), a German poet and essayist, is perhaps the most famous bearer of the surname. His works, including "Die Harzreise" and "Buch der Lieder," have had a lasting influence on German literature.

Other notable individuals with the surname HEINE include Jakob Heine (1800-1880), a German businessman and founder of the Heine clothing company; Carl Heine (1819-1888), a German obstetrician who invented several medical instruments; and Rudolf Heine (1882-1949), a German sculptor known for his bronze statues and monuments.

The name HEINE has also been associated with various places in Germany, such as Heine, a district in the city of Dortmund, and Heine, a village in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. These place names likely derived from the same Old High German root as the surname, further reinforcing the topographic connection.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Heine

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!