2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Helenthal
A locational surname indicating someone from Helenthal, Germany or surrounding area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Helenthal. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Helenthal 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Helenthal in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Helenthal, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Helenthal
The surname Helenthal is of German origin, first appearing in historical records from the late 15th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from a place name that likely translates to "valley of Helen" or "valley of healing herbs." This suggests the name may have originated in a region known for its medicinal plants or healing springs.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Helenthal name can be found in a 1497 census record from the town of Nürnberg, where a family by the name of Helenthal is listed as residents. It is also mentioned in a 16th-century manuscript documenting the history of the Palatinate region, indicating the name was present in that area during that time period.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure named Johannes Helenthal (1604-1678) was a noted theologian and philosopher, serving as a professor at the University of Heidelberg. His writings and teachings had a significant impact on the intellectual discourse of the time.
Another noteworthy individual with this surname was Christoph Helenthal (1722-1789), a skilled architect who designed several notable churches and public buildings in the city of Munich during the late 18th century.
Moving into the 19th century, a man named Friedrich Helenthal (1817-1892) gained recognition as a pioneering botanist and horticulturist, contributing to the understanding and cultivation of various plant species native to the German regions.
In the early 20th century, a woman named Elise Helenthal (1898-1976) made a name for herself as a celebrated soprano opera singer, performing at prestigious venues across Europe and earning critical acclaim for her powerful voice and emotive performances.
Over the centuries, variations in the spelling of the name have been observed, such as Helentaller, Helendahl, and Helenthaler, reflecting regional dialectical differences and changes in orthography over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Helenthal
Among Census respondents with the surname Helenthal, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Helenthal 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 Helenthal surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 97
Timeline
Historical Census data for Helenthal
Helenthal appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-5 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,983 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.9%) | Up 1,983 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 Helenthal 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 | #158,432 | #156,449 | 1.3% |
| Count | 102 | 97 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Helenthal bearers went from 102 to 97 (-4.9% change). The surname moved up 1,983 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #156,449.
FAQ
Helenthal surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Helenthal?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Helenthal. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Helenthal?
Helenthal ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 97 people with the surname Helenthal. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Helenthal.
Has Helenthal become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Helenthal went from 102 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Helenthal?
Among Census respondents with the surname Helenthal, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Helenthal in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Helenthal appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Helenthal (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 Helenthal mean?
A locational surname indicating someone from Helenthal, Germany or surrounding area. 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 Helenthal (0.03 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 common is the surname Helenthal?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Helenthal, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.