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

Heinlein, 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 Heinlein surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Heinlein in America

Heinlein is the 15127th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Heinlein surname appeared 1,949 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 Heinlein.

We can also compare 2010 data for Heinlein 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 Heinlein

The surname HEINLEIN originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the German words "hein" meaning "home" and "lein" meaning "little," essentially translating to "little home." The name likely referred to a small homestead or cottage in the region where the original bearers resided.

The earliest recorded instances of the HEINLEIN surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various German regions, particularly in Bavaria and Swabia. Some of the early spellings of the name included Heynlein, Heunlein, and Heunlin, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.

In the 14th century, the HEINLEIN name appeared in several historical records and manuscripts, such as the "Bairisches Stammbuch" (Bavarian Family Book) and the "Schwäbisches Stammbuch" (Swabian Family Book), which documented noble families and their lineages.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the HEINLEIN surname was Hans Heinlein (c.1480-1550), a German printer and publisher who was active in Nuremberg during the Renaissance era. He is credited with printing several important works, including Martin Luther's Bible translation and works by Albrecht Dürer.

Another prominent figure was Johann Heinlein (1554-1605), a German astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of comets and planetary motion. He was a professor at the University of Tübingen and corresponded with notable astronomers like Johannes Kepler.

In the 18th century, Johann Michael Heinlein (1705-1765) was a German clockmaker and inventor from Nuremberg. He is renowned for his intricate and innovative clock designs, including the "Nuremberg Egg," a clock encased within a decorative egg-shaped shell.

The HEINLEIN surname also has a literary connection through Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988), an American science fiction author considered one of the most influential and prolific writers in the genre. Some of his notable works include "Stranger in a Strange Land," "Starship Troopers," and "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress."

Additionally, the name HEINLEIN has been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Heinleinsmühle (Heinlein's Mill) and Heinleinshof (Heinlein's Farm), further reflecting the name's origins and connections to rural settlements and homesteads.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Heinlein

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Heinlein, 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!