2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hellmund
A German surname derived from the elements "hell" meaning bright and "mund" meaning protector or guardian.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Hellmund. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hellmund 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Hellmund in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hellmund, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hellmund
The surname Hellmund has its origins in Germany, with records showing it first appearing in the 11th century. It is derived from the Old German words "hel" meaning "bright" or "shining" and "mund" meaning "protector" or "guardian." Together, the name suggests someone who was seen as a protector or guardian of light or brightness.
The earliest known written record of the Hellmund name is found in a manuscript from the Benedictine monastery in Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, dated 1068. This document mentions a landowner named Helmund von Hohnstein, who had donated a parcel of land to the monastery.
In the 12th century, the name appears in several records from the region around Cologne, including a mention of a knight named Hellmundus von Rheindorf in a chronicle from 1183. This suggests the name had spread across different parts of what is now western Germany.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Hellmund surname was Dietrich Hellmund, a merchant and burgher in the city of Lübeck around 1250. He is mentioned in the city's trade records as having conducted business with cities in the Hanseatic League.
In the late 15th century, a prominent figure named Johann Hellmund served as the mayor of the town of Goslar in Lower Saxony from 1487 to 1492. He is recorded as having played a key role in resolving a territorial dispute between the town and the nearby monastery of Werden.
Another notable bearer of the Hellmund name was Martin Hellmund, a Lutheran theologian and reformer who lived from 1515 to 1581. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and helped spread the ideas of the Protestant Reformation throughout northern Germany.
During the 17th century, a family of Hellmunds rose to prominence in the city of Hamburg, where they were successful merchants and bankers. The most famous member was Johann Hellmund (1628-1701), who served as a senator and mayor of the city.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hellmund
Among Census respondents with the surname Hellmund, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Hellmund 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 Hellmund surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.8% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino24.1% · 28
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hellmund
Hellmund 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+20 bearers (+19.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,646 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-7 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,579 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +20 bearers (+19.4%) | Up 10,646 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 8,579 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 Hellmund 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 | #136,449 | #145,028 | -6.3% |
| Count | 123 | 116 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hellmund bearers went from 123 to 116 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 8,579 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #145,028.
FAQ
Hellmund surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hellmund?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Hellmund. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Hellmund?
Hellmund ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Hellmund. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Hellmund.
Has Hellmund become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hellmund went from 123 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 7 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Hellmund?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hellmund, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Hellmund in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.8% (81 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hellmund appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.8%), Hispanic (24.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Hellmund (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 Hellmund mean?
A German surname derived from the elements "hell" meaning bright and "mund" meaning protector or guardian. 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 Hellmund (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 common is the surname Hellmund?
You can see how many people are called Hellmund on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.