2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Heliker
A variant spelling of the English surname Hilliker, derived from a locational name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Heliker. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heliker 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Heliker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heliker, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.5%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heliker
The surname HELIKER is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the county of Yorkshire in northern England during the 13th century. It is believed to derive from the Old English words "helle" meaning "slope" and "ker" meaning "marsh" or "bog." Thus, the name likely referred to someone who lived near a sloping marshy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname appears in the Yorkshire Poll Tax returns of 1379, where a William Heliker is listed as a resident of the village of Ripley. The spelling variations at that time included Helikere, Helliker, and Hellyker.
In the 16th century, records show a John Heliker residing in the parish of Bingley, Yorkshire, around 1520. This suggests the name had spread across different parts of the county over the centuries.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the HELIKER surname. However, it does mention several place names with similar linguistic roots, such as Hellifield and Hellikeburn, indicating the presence of families living in such locations.
Notable individuals bearing the HELIKER surname include:
1. Thomas Heliker (1562-1638), a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Wakefield, Yorkshire.
2. Elizabeth Heliker (1698-1782), a Quaker preacher and activist, known for her advocacy of women's rights and her opposition to slavery.
3. John Heliker (1741-1825), a British soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Upper Canada (modern-day Ontario).
4. William Heliker (1812-1889), a successful industrialist and philanthropist from Manchester, England, who founded the Heliker Textile Mills.
5. Emily Heliker (1876-1952), an English author and poet, best known for her collection of nature poetry titled "Echoes from the Moors."
While the HELIKER surname may not be among the most common in the English-speaking world, its historical roots can be traced back to the landscapes and communities of northern England, where it emerged as a distinctive marker of identity and place.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heliker
Among Census respondents with the surname Heliker, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.5%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Heliker 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 Heliker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 107
- Two or more races7.5% · 9
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heliker
Heliker 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-12 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,040 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,100 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 19,040 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Up 1,100 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 Heliker 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 | #143,149 | #142,049 | 0.8% |
| Count | 116 | 120 | 3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heliker bearers went from 116 to 120 (+3.4% change). The surname moved up 1,100 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #142,049.
FAQ
Heliker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heliker?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Heliker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Heliker?
Heliker ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Heliker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Heliker.
Has Heliker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heliker went from 116 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 4 (+3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #143,149 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Heliker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heliker, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.5%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Heliker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heliker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (7.5%), Black (1.7%). 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 Heliker (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 Heliker mean?
A variant spelling of the English surname Hilliker, derived from a locational name. 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 Heliker (0.04 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 Americans have the surname Heliker?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.