2000
#14,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,935
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Heinlein
Derived from a German place name meaning "home of a person named Heinrich."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,029 Americans carry the last name Heinlein. That puts it at #15,858 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,928 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heinlein 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
2.0K
1 in 168,928
Census rank
#15,858
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,769 bearers of the surname Heinlein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15858th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heinlein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heinlein
Among Census respondents with the surname Heinlein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Heinlein 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 Heinlein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 1,650
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 59
- Two or more races2.5% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 8
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heinlein
Heinlein 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
#15,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,949
+14 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 901 places
2020
#15,858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,769
-180 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 731 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,226 | 1,935 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,127 | 1,949 | 0.66 | +14 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 901 places |
| 2020 | #15,858 | 1,769 | 0.59 | -180 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 731 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 Heinlein 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 | #15,127 | #15,858 | -4.8% |
| Count | 1,949 | 1,769 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.59 | -10.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heinlein bearers went from 1,949 to 1,769 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 731 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,127 to #15,858.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Heinlein
FAQ
Heinlein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heinlein?
Name Census estimates that about 2,029 living Americans carry the surname Heinlein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,928 residents.
How common is Heinlein?
Heinlein ranks #15,858 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,769 people with the surname Heinlein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,029), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Heinlein.
Has Heinlein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heinlein went from 1,949 recorded bearers to 1,769. That is a decrease of 180 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,127 to #15,858.
What does the Census say about the background of Heinlein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heinlein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Heinlein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (1,650 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heinlein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Heinlein (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 Heinlein mean?
Derived from a German place name meaning "home of a person named Heinrich." 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 Heinlein (0.59 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 Heinlein?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.