2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hellein
An ethnic surname derived from the Greek region of Hellas (or Hellenic land).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Hellein. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hellein 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Hellein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hellein, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hellein
The surname HELLEIN is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "helle," which means "bright" or "shining," and may have been a descriptive name given to someone with light-colored hair or a bright complexion.
The earliest recorded instances of the HELLEIN surname can be found in various historical documents from the region now known as Bavaria, in southern Germany. One of the earliest known bearers of this name was Johannes Hellein, who was mentioned in a court record from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in 1367.
Another notable figure with the HELLEIN surname was Konrad Hellein, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Nuremberg in the late 15th century. Records indicate that he was a respected member of the local community and held significant influence in the city's affairs.
In the 16th century, the HELLEIN name appears in the records of the University of Heidelberg, where several individuals with this surname were enrolled as students. One such student was Hans Hellein, who matriculated in 1521 and went on to become a respected scholar and teacher.
The HELLEIN surname also has a connection to the world of literature, as it was borne by Johann Hellein, a German poet and playwright who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. His works, which were primarily written in the Baroque style, were highly regarded during his lifetime and contributed to the cultural development of the region.
Another notable figure with the HELLEIN surname was Wilhelm Hellein, a German military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War during the first half of the 17th century. Historical accounts suggest that he played a significant role in several key battles and gained recognition for his strategic prowess on the battlefield.
Over the centuries, the HELLEIN surname has spread beyond its German origins and can now be found in various parts of the world, primarily due to migration and immigration patterns. However, the name's deep roots and historical significance remain closely tied to its origins in the German-speaking regions of Central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hellein
Among Census respondents with the surname Hellein, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hellein 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 Hellein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino10.5% · 12
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hellein
Hellein 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-12 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,269 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,354 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 19,269 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,354 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 Hellein 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 | #144,141 | #146,495 | -1.6% |
| Count | 115 | 114 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hellein bearers went from 115 to 114 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,354 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #146,495.
FAQ
Hellein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hellein?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Hellein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Hellein?
Hellein ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Hellein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Hellein.
Has Hellein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hellein went from 115 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Hellein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hellein, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.5%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Hellein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hellein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Hispanic (10.5%), Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Hellein (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 Hellein mean?
An ethnic surname derived from the Greek region of Hellas (or Hellenic land). 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 Hellein (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 people are called Hellein?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Hellein is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.