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

Heinrich, 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 Heinrich surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Heinrich in America

Heinrich is the 4141st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Heinrich surname appeared 8,552 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Heinrich.

We can also compare 2010 data for Heinrich 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 Heinrich

The surname HEINRICH originates from Germany and dates back to the medieval period. It is a variant of the personal name Heinrich, which is derived from the Old Germanic name Haimarihhi, meaning "home ruler" or "ruler of the home." The name was widely used among the Germanic tribes, particularly the Franks and the Saxons, who were instrumental in the spread of this name across Europe.

HEINRICH can be traced back to the 9th century, where it is found in various historical records and manuscripts. One of the earliest documented instances of the name is found in the Codex Traditionum Ecclesiae Ravennatensis, a medieval cartulary compiled in the 10th century, which mentions a certain "Heinricus de Saxonia" (Heinrich of Saxony).

The name gained particular prominence during the reign of the Ottonian dynasty in the Holy Roman Empire, which saw several rulers with the name Heinrich, including Heinrich I (876-936), Heinrich II (973-1024), and Heinrich III (1017-1056). These rulers were instrumental in shaping the political and cultural landscape of medieval Germany, and their names became closely associated with the imperial legacy.

In the 12th century, the name HEINRICH appeared in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the region of Saxony. One notable figure from this period was Heinrich der Löwe (Henry the Lion), Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, who lived from 1129 to 1195 and was known for his military prowess and patronage of the arts.

During the 13th century, the name HEINRICH was found in various municipal records and chronicles, such as the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Ebracensis, which documented the transactions of the Benedictine monastery in Ebersheim, Germany. Another notable figure from this era was Heinrich von Meissen, known as Frauenlob (c. 1260-1318), a renowned Middle High German poet and minnesingers.

In the 14th century, the name HEINRICH appeared in various legal documents and chronicles, such as the Chronica Principum Saxoniae, a chronicle of the rulers of Saxony. One significant figure from this period was Heinrich VII (1275-1313), the Holy Roman Emperor who played a crucial role in the political and religious conflicts of his time.

Over the centuries, the surname HEINRICH has been associated with numerous distinguished individuals, including Heinrich Schütz (1585-1672), a renowned German composer and organist; Heinrich Heine (1797-1856), a German poet and literary critic; and Heinrich Hertz (1857-1894), a German physicist who is best known for his contributions to the understanding of electromagnetic waves.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Heinrich

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

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

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