2000
#3,931
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,300
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.08
Rare Last name
Heinz
German occupational surname derived from Heinrich, referring to a ruler or power of the home.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,165 Americans carry the last name Heinz. That puts it at #4,294 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,398 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heinz 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
9.2K
1 in 37,398
Census rank
#4,294
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,992 bearers of the surname Heinz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4294th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heinz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heinz
The surname HEINZ originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the medieval German personal name Heinezo, which is a diminutive form of the name Hein or Heine, itself a shortened version of the Germanic name Heinrich or Henry.
The name HEINZ is thought to have first emerged in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Swabia. It was initially spelled in various ways, such as Heyntz, Heintz, Heincz, and Heintze, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the HEINZ name was Heinz von Bamberg, a German nobleman who lived in the late 12th century and was recorded in a charter from the city of Bamberg in 1188. Another early reference can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from Brandenburg, which mentions a Heinz von Zossen in the year 1349.
In the 15th century, the HEINZ surname appeared in the town records of Nuremberg, with a certain Heinz Imhoff listed as a prominent merchant and member of the city council in 1456. Around the same time, a Heinz Holbein was recorded as a renowned artist and painter in Augsburg, known for his portraits of the European nobility.
As the name spread across different regions of Germany, it also became associated with various place names. For instance, the town of Heinzenhausen in Hesse likely derived its name from an early settler or landowner with the surname HEINZ.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the HEINZ surname, including:
1. Henry John Heinz (1844-1919), the American businessman and founder of the H.J. Heinz Company, known for its iconic ketchup and food products.
2. Howard Heinz (1877-1920), son of Henry John Heinz and heir to the Heinz Company.
3. Rudolf Heinz (1901-1975), a German film director and screenwriter active during the 1930s and 1940s.
4. Konrad Heinz (1920-2004), a German writer and poet known for his works exploring the themes of war and post-war Germany.
5. Viki Heinz (1930-2017), an Austrian actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout her career.
While the HEINZ surname has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through immigration and the global reach of the Heinz Company's products.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heinz
Among Census respondents with the surname Heinz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Heinz 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 Heinz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 7,337
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 282
- Two or more races2.8% · 224
- Black or African American1.0% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heinz
Heinz 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
#4,276
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,311
+11 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 2.82
Rank movement Down 345 places
2020
#4,294
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,992
-319 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 2.67
Rank movement Down 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,931 | 8,300 | 3.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,276 | 8,311 | 2.82 | +11 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 345 places |
| 2020 | #4,294 | 7,992 | 2.67 | -319 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 18 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 Heinz 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 | #4,276 | #4,294 | -0.4% |
| Count | 8,311 | 7,992 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.82 | 2.67 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heinz bearers went from 8,311 to 7,992 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,276 to #4,294.
FAQ
Heinz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heinz?
Name Census estimates that about 9,165 living Americans carry the surname Heinz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,398 residents.
How common is Heinz?
Heinz ranks #4,294 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.67 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 7,992 people with the surname Heinz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,165), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.67 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 Heinz.
Has Heinz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heinz went from 8,311 recorded bearers to 7,992. That is a decrease of 319 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,276 to #4,294.
What does the Census say about the background of Heinz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heinz, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Heinz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (7,337 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heinz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Heinz (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 Heinz mean?
German occupational surname derived from Heinrich, referring to a ruler or power of the 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 Heinz (2.67 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 people have the surname Heinz?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.