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

Heiner, 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 Heiner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Heiner in America

Heiner is the 12869th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Heiner surname appeared 2,392 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 Heiner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Heiner 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 Heiner

The surname Heiner is of German origin, and can be traced back to the 14th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. It is derived from the medieval German word "Hein," a diminutive form of the Germanic name Heinrich, which means "ruler of the home."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Heiner appears in the Nuremberg Chronicles, a 15th-century world history book published in 1493. The book mentions a Johann Heiner, a merchant from Augsburg, who lived in the late 14th century.

In the 16th century, the name Heiner is found in various historical records from the towns of Bamberg and Coburg in Bavaria. A notable figure from this period is Hans Heiner, a Protestant reformer and theologian born in Bamberg in 1525, who was known for his writings on the Reformation.

The Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) saw the migration of many German families, including those with the surname Heiner, to other parts of Europe and even to the New World. One such individual was Johann Heiner, born in 1620 in Coburg, who emigrated to Pennsylvania in the late 17th century and is considered one of the earliest Heiner settlers in America.

In the 19th century, the name Heiner gained prominence in the field of literature. Friedrich Heiner, a German poet and author, was born in 1804 in Saxony and is known for his romantic verses and ballads.

Another notable figure is Heinrich Heiner, born in 1857 in Düsseldorf, who was a prominent architect and urban planner. He was responsible for the design of several iconic buildings in Germany, including the Düsseldorf City Hall.

Among the more recent historical figures with the surname Heiner is Walter Heiner, a German-American physicist born in 1899 in Munich. He made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics and worked on the Manhattan Project during World War II.

Throughout its history, the surname Heiner has been associated with various occupations and professions, including merchants, theologians, writers, architects, and scientists, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who have carried this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Heiner

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

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

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

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