2000
#110,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Heitstuman
A surname originating from German and referring to someone from a place called Heitstuman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 192 Americans carry the last name Heitstuman. That puts it at #111,996 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,785,179 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heitstuman 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
192
1 in 1,785,179
Census rank
#111,996
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
167
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 167 bearers of the surname Heitstuman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 111996th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heitstuman, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heitstuman
The surname "HEITSTUMAN" finds its origins in the Germanic regions of central Europe, with roots dating back to the early medieval period around the 9th century AD. The name is believed to have evolved from the Old High German words "heit" meaning "heath" or "uncultivated land" and "stuman" which translates to "stump" or "tree stump". It was likely an occupational surname given to individuals who lived or worked in heathlands, clearing land or working with stumps and timber.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, where a certain "Heitstuman von Bitterfeld" is mentioned in a land transaction dated 1142 AD. This indicates that the name was already in use by the 12th century in the area that is now eastern Germany.
Another notable mention of the name comes from the Liber Censuum, a tax register compiled by the Holy Roman Empire in the 13th century, which lists a "Heigestuman von Goslar" among the landowners and taxpayers in the city of Goslar, located in present-day Lower Saxony.
In the 14th century, a man named Konrad Heitstuman appears in the records of the city of Lübeck, a prominent member of the Hanseatic League, where he is listed as a merchant and trader in goods from the Baltic region.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Heitstuman, a scholar and theologian born in the town of Erfurt in 1412. He later became a professor at the University of Leipzig and was known for his writings on ecclesiastical law and theology.
Another notable figure was Margarethe Heitstuman, born in 1532 in the town of Augsburg, who gained recognition as a skilled weaver and textile artist. Her intricate tapestries and linen works were highly sought after by wealthy patrons throughout Europe during the Renaissance period.
In the 17th century, a man named Hans Heitstuman (1621-1689) was a renowned clockmaker and horologist based in the city of Nuremberg, known for his innovative designs and precision timepieces which were coveted by nobility and royalty across the continent.
As the name spread across central and northern Europe over the centuries, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged, such as Heitstumann, Heidstumann, and Heitstuhmen, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences of the areas where the name was adopted.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heitstuman
Among Census respondents with the surname Heitstuman, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Heitstuman 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 Heitstuman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.4% · 166
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heitstuman
Heitstuman 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
#117,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 6,957 places
2020
#111,996
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 167
+19 bearers (+12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 5,484 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #110,523 | 148 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #117,480 | 148 | 0.05 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 6,957 places |
| 2020 | #111,996 | 167 | 0.06 | +19 bearers (+12.8%) | Up 5,484 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 Heitstuman 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 | #117,480 | #111,996 | 4.7% |
| Count | 148 | 167 | 12.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heitstuman bearers went from 148 to 167 (+12.8% change). The surname moved up 5,484 positions in the national ranking, going from #117,480 to #111,996.
FAQ
Heitstuman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heitstuman?
Name Census estimates that about 192 living Americans carry the surname Heitstuman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,785,179 residents.
How common is Heitstuman?
Heitstuman ranks #111,996 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 167 people with the surname Heitstuman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (192), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Heitstuman.
Has Heitstuman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heitstuman went from 148 recorded bearers to 167. That is an increase of 19 (+12.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #117,480 to #111,996.
What does the Census say about the background of Heitstuman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heitstuman, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.6%). 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 Heitstuman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.4% (166 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heitstuman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.4%), Hispanic (0.6%). 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 Heitstuman (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 Heitstuman mean?
A surname originating from German and referring to someone from a place called Heitstuman. 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 Heitstuman (0.06 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 Heitstuman?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.