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

Helfand, 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 Helfand surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Helfand in America

Helfand is the 39052nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Helfand surname appeared 564 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 Helfand.

We can also compare 2010 data for Helfand 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 Helfand

The surname Helfand is of Jewish origin, deriving from the Yiddish language. It is believed to have originated in Eastern Europe, particularly in areas such as Poland, Ukraine, and Russia, where large Jewish communities existed during the Middle Ages.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Helfand can be traced back to the 16th century. It is thought to have been derived from the Yiddish words "helfen" meaning "to help" and "hand" meaning "hand". This combination suggests that the name may have originally referred to a profession or occupation, potentially a helping hand or assistant.

During the Middle Ages, it was common for Jewish surnames to be based on occupations, locations, or personal characteristics. The name Helfand likely emerged as a descriptive surname, describing an individual's role or occupation within their community.

While there are few historical records specifically mentioning the name Helfand, it is believed to have been present in various Jewish communities throughout Eastern Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. As the Jewish population migrated westward, the name would have spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world.

One of the earliest known individuals bearing the surname Helfand was Rabbi Yitzchak Helfand, a prominent Jewish scholar and Talmudist who lived in the 17th century. He was born in Poland and later resided in Lithuania, where he served as a rabbi and taught Torah.

Another notable figure with the surname Helfand was Abraham Helfand, a Jewish poet and writer who lived in the late 19th century. He was born in Ukraine and was known for his contributions to Yiddish literature and his advocacy for Jewish culture and education.

In the 20th century, Samuel Helfand, an American scientist and inventor, made significant contributions to the field of optics and lens design. He was born in 1888 and held numerous patents for his innovative work in optical systems.

Renee Helfand, born in 1946, is a Canadian artist and painter known for her vibrant and expressive abstract works. Her art has been exhibited in galleries across North America and is held in private collections around the world.

David Helfand, born in 1950, is an American astrophysicist and professor at Columbia University. He has made significant contributions to the study of galaxy formation and is recognized for his efforts in promoting science education and public outreach.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Helfand

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

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

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