2000
#1,074
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,727
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.02
Uncommon Last name
Helms
A topographic surname for someone who lived near or on a helm, a shelter or shed for cattle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 32,373 Americans carry the last name Helms. That puts it at #1,225 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,588 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Helms 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Helms with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
32K
1 in 10,588
Census rank
#1,225
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,231 bearers of the surname Helms in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1225th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Helms, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Helms
The surname Helms originated in England during the medieval era. It is derived from the Old English word "helm," which means "helmet" or "protective covering." This name was likely given to someone who made or sold helmets, or perhaps to a soldier who wore a distinctive helmet in battle.
The earliest recorded instances of the Helms surname date back to the late 12th century in various English county records and tax rolls. One notable example is William Helme, who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1195.
In the 13th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Helme, Helm, and Healme, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations common during that time. The Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire from 1273 mention a John Helme, while the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297 list a Thomas del Helm.
The Helms surname was also present in the renowned Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landholders and tenants across England. One entry mentions a "Helmus" in Oxfordshire, although it is unclear whether this was a given name or a surname.
Throughout history, several notable individuals bore the Helms surname. One of the earliest was Sir Christopher Helms (c. 1430-1505), an English knight and landowner from Hertfordshire. Another was John Helms (c. 1580-1637), a prominent English merchant and member of the East India Company.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Helms surname was Benjamin Helms (1740-1817), a soldier and farmer from North Carolina. Jeremiah Helms (1786-1861) was a prominent Baptist minister and abolitionist in Indiana, while Joseph Helms (1824-1898) was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War.
During the 19th century, the Helms surname also gained recognition through individuals like George Helms (1824-1901), a successful businessman and philanthropist from New York, and John Helms (1851-1913), a prominent architect who designed several notable buildings in Chicago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Helms
Among Census respondents with the surname Helms, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Helms 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 Helms surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.6% · 25,012
- Black or African American4.1% · 1,152
- Two or more races3.6% · 1,029
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 715
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 190
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 133
Timeline
Historical Census data for Helms
Helms 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
#1,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,949
-5,778 bearers (-19.4%)
Per 100,000 8.12
Rank movement Down 419 places
2020
#1,225
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,231
+4,282 bearers (+17.9%)
Per 100,000 9.45
Rank movement Up 268 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,074 | 29,727 | 11.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,493 | 23,949 | 8.12 | -5,778 bearers (-19.4%) | Down 419 places |
| 2020 | #1,225 | 28,231 | 9.45 | +4,282 bearers (+17.9%) | Up 268 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 Helms 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 | #1,493 | #1,225 | 18.0% |
| Count | 23,949 | 28,231 | 17.9% |
| Per 100K | 8.12 | 9.45 | 16.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Helms bearers went from 23,949 to 28,231 (+17.9% change). The surname moved up 268 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,493 to #1,225.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Helms
FAQ
Helms surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Helms?
Name Census estimates that about 32,373 living Americans carry the surname Helms. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,588 residents.
How common is Helms?
Helms ranks #1,225 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,231 people with the surname Helms. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (32,373), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Helms.
Has Helms become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Helms went from 23,949 recorded bearers to 28,231. That is an increase of 4,282 (+17.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,493 to #1,225.
What does the Census say about the background of Helms?
Among Census respondents with the surname Helms, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.6%. The next largest groups are Black (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Helms in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.6% (25,012 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Helms appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.6%), Black (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Helms (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 Helms mean?
A topographic surname for someone who lived near or on a helm, a shelter or shed for cattle. 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 Helms (9.45 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 Helms?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Helms at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.