2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Heisterman
An Anglo-German surname derived from the word "heister" meaning a keeper of falcons or hawks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Heisterman. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heisterman 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Heisterman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heisterman, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heisterman
The surname HEISTERMAN is of German origin, with its earliest known records dating back to the late 16th century. The name likely originated from the Lower Rhine region of Germany, particularly in the areas around the cities of Cologne and Düsseldorf. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Heister," which means a small forest or thicket, indicating that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or worked in a wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the HEISTERMAN surname can be found in the church records of St. Aposteln in Cologne, where a certain Johann HEISTERMAN was baptized in 1587. Another early record is from the town of Neuss, near Düsseldorf, where a man named Peter HEISTERMAN is mentioned in a land registry from 1612.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, with records showing HEISTERMAN families in places like Hamburg and Hanover. One notable figure from this period was Hans HEISTERMAN, a merchant from Lübeck who was involved in the city's thriving trade with the Baltic region. He lived from 1625 to 1698.
As German immigration to the United States and other parts of the world increased in the 19th century, the HEISTERMAN surname began appearing in various regions. In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances is from the 1840 census, which lists a family headed by Johann HEISTERMAN in Pennsylvania.
Another significant figure bearing the HEISTERMAN name was Friedrich HEISTERMAN, a German-American inventor and entrepreneur who lived from 1829 to 1912. He is credited with developing several important innovations in the field of printing and publishing, including an early typesetting machine.
In the arts, there was a notable painter named Gerta HEISTERMAN who was born in Berlin in 1892. She was known for her vibrant portraits and landscapes and was part of the German Expressionist movement in the early 20th century.
Among more recent historical figures, one worth mentioning is Karl HEISTERMAN, a German soldier who served in World War II and later became a prominent advocate for veterans' rights. He was born in 1920 and passed away in 2005.
Overall, the surname HEISTERMAN has a rich history that can be traced back to its origins in the forested regions of Western Germany several centuries ago. While it has since spread to various parts of the world, the name's etymology remains closely tied to its German roots and the concept of a small wooded area or thicket.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heisterman
Among Census respondents with the surname Heisterman, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Heisterman 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 Heisterman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heisterman
Heisterman 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-11 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,277 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-9 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,490 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 18,277 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 8,490 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 Heisterman 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 | #143,149 | #151,639 | -5.9% |
| Count | 116 | 107 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heisterman bearers went from 116 to 107 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 8,490 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #151,639.
FAQ
Heisterman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heisterman?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Heisterman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Heisterman?
Heisterman ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 107 people with the surname Heisterman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Heisterman.
Has Heisterman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heisterman went from 116 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Heisterman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heisterman, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Heisterman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heisterman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Heisterman (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 Heisterman mean?
An Anglo-German surname derived from the word "heister" meaning a keeper of falcons or hawks. 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 Heisterman (0.04 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 share the surname Heisterman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.