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

Heitner, 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 Heitner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Heitner in America

Heitner is the 55505th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Heitner surname appeared 370 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Heitner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Heitner 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 Heitner

The surname Heitner has its origins in Germany, where it emerged in the Middle Ages, likely around the 13th century. It is derived from the Germanic words "hei" or "haid," meaning "heath" or "uncultivated land," and "ner," which signifies "dweller." Thus, the name could have initially referred to individuals residing in or near heathlands or uncultivated areas.

Records of the name can be traced back to various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Silesia. One of the earliest documented instances is found in the Bavarian town of Augsburg, where a certain Cunrad Heitner was mentioned in a municipal record from 1312.

The name has also undergone several spelling variations over the centuries, such as Heidner, Heidtner, and Heitener, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal interpretations of the time. Interestingly, the variant Heidner was recorded in the renowned Doomsday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.

Notable individuals bearing the Heitner surname include Johann Heitner (1492-1567), a German Protestant theologian and reformer from Nuremberg, who played a significant role in the spread of Lutheranism in the region. Another prominent figure was Christoph Heitner (1615-1688), a German baroque composer and organist from Dresden, who served at the court of the Electors of Saxony.

In the 18th century, Johanna Heitner (1728-1806), a Silesian weaver from Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland), gained recognition for her intricate tapestries and textiles, which adorned numerous noble households across Central Europe.

More recently, Erich Heitner (1879-1942) was a German architect and urban planner from Berlin, known for his pioneering work in the field of sustainable urban development. Tragically, he perished in the Theresienstadt concentration camp during the Holocaust.

Additionally, Hans Heitner (1922-2004), a German-born American physicist and engineer, made significant contributions to the development of radar technology during World War II and later worked on NASA's Apollo program, playing a crucial role in the successful Moon landings.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Heitner

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

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

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