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

Helfant, 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 Helfant surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Helfant in America

Helfant is the 116201st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Helfant surname appeared 150 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 Helfant.

We can also compare 2010 data for Helfant 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 Helfant

The surname "HELFANT" has its origins in Germany, traced back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German words "helf" meaning "helper" and "ant" referring to an end or completion, which collectively suggest the meaning "one who completes tasks" or "helper to the end."

The name first appeared in historical records in the region of Bavaria, particularly in the town of Nuremberg, where it was documented in municipal registers and church records. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Nuremberg City Archives, dated 1472, mentioning a certain Hans Helfant, a merchant and trader in the city.

In the 16th century, the name Helfant was associated with the small village of Helfantsdorf, located in the Bavarian region of Franconia. It is believed that the village's name may have been derived from the surname itself, as it was common practice at the time for settlements to take on the names of their founders or prominent families.

Notable individuals bearing the surname Helfant include Johann Helfant (1525-1587), a renowned German goldsmith and engraver who worked in Nuremberg during the Renaissance period, and Konrad Helfant (1650-1721), a Baroque-era painter and fresco artist from the town of Bamberg in northern Bavaria.

In the 18th century, the name Helfant appeared in the records of the city of Leipzig, where a family of booksellers and publishers operated under the name. One of the most famous members of this family was Christian Gottlob Helfant (1765-1832), a respected publisher and bookseller who played a significant role in the literary and cultural life of Leipzig during the Enlightenment era.

Another notable figure was Friedrich Helfant (1803-1878), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Prussian Landtag (parliament) in the mid-19th century, representing the city of Cologne.

While the name Helfant has its roots in Germany, it has spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration over the centuries. However, its geographical distribution and prevalence remain concentrated in the German-speaking regions of Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Helfant

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Helfant, please contact us.

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