2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Hellebrand
A surname derived from the German words "hell" (bright) and "Brand" (sword or firebrand).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Hellebrand. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hellebrand 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Hellebrand in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hellebrand, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hellebrand
The surname HELLEBRAND has its roots in medieval Germany, emerging in the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Germanic words "helle," meaning "bright" or "shining," and "brand," meaning "sword" or "flame." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who carried a bright or shining sword, possibly a knight or a warrior.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HELLEBRAND can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dating back to the 14th century. The name is mentioned in connection with a knight named Heinricus Hellebrand, who served under the Margrave of Brandenburg in the late 1300s.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name HELLEBRAND appeared in various regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around the Rhineland and the Palatinate. It is possible that the name was associated with certain localities or place names, as was common during that time period.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the name HELLEBRAND was Johann Christoph Hellebrand (1615-1685), a German theologian and author from Saxony. He wrote several works on religious subjects and served as a pastor in various Lutheran churches.
Another significant individual with the surname HELLEBRAND was Carl Friedrich Hellebrand (1760-1837), a German jurist and legal scholar from Hesse. He held important positions in the judiciary and was known for his contributions to the field of civil law.
Moving into the 19th century, one can find references to a German-American businessman named August Hellebrand (1825-1901), who immigrated to the United States and became a successful brewery owner in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as HELLENBRAND, HELLENBRANT, or HELLENBRECHT, may also have existed in different regions or time periods, reflecting the diversity of the name's evolution.
While the surname HELLEBRAND may not be among the most common surnames today, its historical significance lies in its medieval German origins and the individuals who carried this name through various eras, contributing to various fields and leaving their mark on the chronicles of their respective regions and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hellebrand
Among Census respondents with the surname Hellebrand, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hellebrand 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 Hellebrand surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.0% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hellebrand
Hellebrand 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
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-4 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,229 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.9%) | Up 1,229 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 Hellebrand 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 | #157,234 | #156,005 | 0.8% |
| Count | 103 | 99 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hellebrand bearers went from 103 to 99 (-3.9% change). The surname moved up 1,229 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #156,005.
FAQ
Hellebrand surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hellebrand?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Hellebrand. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Hellebrand?
Hellebrand ranks #156,005 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 99 people with the surname Hellebrand. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), 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 Hellebrand.
Has Hellebrand become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hellebrand went from 103 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Hellebrand?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hellebrand, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Hellebrand in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.0% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hellebrand appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.0%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Hellebrand (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 Hellebrand mean?
A surname derived from the German words "hell" (bright) and "Brand" (sword or firebrand). 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 Hellebrand (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 many people have the last name Hellebrand?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Hellebrand at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.