2000
#8,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,557
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Heinen
A surname of German origin, derived from a diminutive of Heinrich, meaning "home ruler" or "ruler of the household."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,047 Americans carry the last name Heinen. That puts it at #8,902 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 84,693 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heinen 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
4.0K
1 in 84,693
Census rank
#8,902
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,529 bearers of the surname Heinen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8902nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heinen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heinen
The surname Heinen originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old German word "hein," which means "home" or "homestead." The name likely referred to someone who lived in a particular homestead or settlement.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Heinen appears in a document from the town of Cologne in 1198, where a certain Heinrich Heinen is mentioned as a landowner. During the Middle Ages, the name was also found in various regions of present-day Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland.
In the 14th century, the name Heinen was documented in the town records of Mainz, where it was spelled as "Heynnen." This spelling variation highlights the regional differences in the pronunciation and spelling of the name during that time period.
One notable historical figure with the surname Heinen was Johann Heinen (1470-1528), a German Renaissance artist and woodcarver from Nuremberg. He is best known for his intricate altarpieces and religious sculptures that adorned churches throughout southern Germany.
Another individual of note was Philipp Heinen (1558-1619), a German jurist and legal scholar from Cologne. He authored several influential works on Roman law and served as a professor at the University of Cologne.
In the 17th century, the name Heinen appeared in the records of the town of Aachen, where a family of merchants and traders bearing that surname was prominent. One member of this family, Wilhelm Heinen (1625-1694), was a successful merchant who acquired substantial wealth through his trading ventures.
During the 18th century, the name Heinen was found in various regions of Germany, including Westphalia and the Rhineland. One notable figure from this period was Johann Heinen (1732-1810), a German philosopher and theologian from Cologne who wrote extensively on the principles of natural law and the role of reason in religious belief.
Another prominent individual with the surname Heinen was Georg Heinen (1789-1861), a German entrepreneur and industrialist from the Ruhr region. He established one of the earliest coal mining companies in the area, which played a significant role in the industrialization of western Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heinen
Among Census respondents with the surname Heinen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Heinen 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 Heinen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 3,248
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 142
- Two or more races2.2% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 35
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heinen
Heinen 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
#8,909
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,675
+118 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 377 places
2020
#8,902
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,529
-146 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.18
Rank movement Up 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,532 | 3,557 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,909 | 3,675 | 1.25 | +118 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 377 places |
| 2020 | #8,902 | 3,529 | 1.18 | -146 bearers (-4.0%) | Up 7 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 Heinen 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 | #8,909 | #8,902 | 0.1% |
| Count | 3,675 | 3,529 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.18 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heinen bearers went from 3,675 to 3,529 (-4.0% change). The surname moved up 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,909 to #8,902.
FAQ
Heinen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heinen?
Name Census estimates that about 4,047 living Americans carry the surname Heinen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 84,693 residents.
How common is Heinen?
Heinen ranks #8,902 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,529 people with the surname Heinen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,047), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Heinen.
Has Heinen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heinen went from 3,675 recorded bearers to 3,529. That is a decrease of 146 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,909 to #8,902.
What does the Census say about the background of Heinen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heinen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Heinen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (3,248 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heinen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Heinen (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 Heinen mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from a diminutive of Heinrich, meaning "home ruler" or "ruler of the household." 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 Heinen (1.18 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 are called Heinen?
If you just want to know how common the surname Heinen is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.