2000
#3,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,240
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.05
Rare Last name
Heinrich
A German surname derived from the given name Heinrich, which means "ruler of the home" or "power and home."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,011 Americans carry the last name Heinrich. That puts it at #4,362 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,037 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heinrich 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Heinrich with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.0K
1 in 38,037
Census rank
#4,362
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,858 bearers of the surname Heinrich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4362nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heinrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heinrich
Among Census respondents with the surname Heinrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Heinrich 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 Heinrich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 7,241
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 284
- Two or more races2.9% · 229
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 53
- Black or African American0.4% · 35
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heinrich
Heinrich 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
#4,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,552
+312 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 2.90
Rank movement Down 187 places
2020
#4,362
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,858
-694 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 2.63
Rank movement Down 221 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,954 | 8,240 | 3.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,141 | 8,552 | 2.90 | +312 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 187 places |
| 2020 | #4,362 | 7,858 | 2.63 | -694 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 221 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 Heinrich 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 | #4,141 | #4,362 | -5.3% |
| Count | 8,552 | 7,858 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.90 | 2.63 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heinrich bearers went from 8,552 to 7,858 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 221 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,141 to #4,362.
FAQ
Heinrich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heinrich?
Name Census estimates that about 9,011 living Americans carry the surname Heinrich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,037 residents.
How common is Heinrich?
Heinrich ranks #4,362 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,858 people with the surname Heinrich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,011), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Heinrich.
Has Heinrich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heinrich went from 8,552 recorded bearers to 7,858. That is a decrease of 694 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,141 to #4,362.
What does the Census say about the background of Heinrich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heinrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Heinrich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (7,241 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heinrich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Heinrich (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 Heinrich mean?
A German surname derived from the given name Heinrich, which means "ruler of the home" or "power and home." 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 Heinrich (2.63 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 Heinrich?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.