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

Helfrich, 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 Helfrich surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Helfrich in America

Helfrich is the 9345th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Helfrich surname appeared 3,482 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Helfrich.

We can also compare 2010 data for Helfrich 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 Helfrich

The surname HELFRICH is of German origin, with its earliest known roots dating back to the Middle Ages in the regions of modern-day Germany and Switzerland. The name is believed to be derived from the Old High German words "helfen" meaning "to help" and "rih" meaning "powerful" or "ruler," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to a person who held a position of authority or provided assistance within their community.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the HELFRICH surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Salemitanus, a medieval manuscript from the Benedictine monastery of Salem in southwestern Germany, which mentions a certain "Helfrich von Eitingen" in the year 1275. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the 13th century.

In the late 15th century, a man named Peter HELFRICH (c. 1460-1529) was a prominent scholar and professor of theology at the University of Heidelberg. He was known for his contributions to the study of canon law and his participation in the debates surrounding the Protestant Reformation.

During the 16th century, the HELFRICH surname appears to have spread to other parts of Europe, including the Low Countries (modern-day Netherlands and Belgium). One notable figure from this period is Petrus HELFRICH (1536-1594), a Dutch painter and engraver who was active in Antwerp and is known for his religious and allegorical works.

In the 17th century, a German-born scholar and theologian named Johann HELFRICH (1609-1676) made significant contributions to the field of philosophy and was highly regarded for his work on ethics and natural law. He served as a professor at the University of Altdorf and his writings were widely studied throughout Europe.

Another notable individual with the HELFRICH surname is Johann Christian HELFRICH (1722-1792), a German-born artist and engraver who worked primarily in Italy. He is best known for his etchings and engravings depicting landscapes, architectural subjects, and scenes from classical mythology.

As the HELFRICH name continued to spread across Europe in subsequent centuries, it also found its way to other parts of the world through immigration and migration. While the name has maintained its strongest presence in Germany and Switzerland, it can now be found in various countries, particularly those with significant German-speaking populations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Helfrich

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

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

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

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