2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Heltne
A Swedish surname potentially derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Heltne. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heltne 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Heltne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heltne, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heltne
The surname Heltne originated in Norway during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse word "hellir," meaning "cave" or "overhang," and the suffix "-tn" which denotes a farmstead or settlement. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a family or individual who lived near a prominent cave or rocky overhang.
Early records of the name can be found in various Norwegian census records and parish registers from the 16th and 17th centuries. One of the earliest documented instances is that of Olav Heltne, a farmer from the Gudbrandsdalen valley in central Norway, who was listed in a parish register from 1612.
During the 19th century, the name appears to have spread beyond its original region, with several notable individuals bearing the surname. One such person was Hans Heltne (1824-1901), a Norwegian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Storting, Norway's parliament.
Another prominent figure was Kristian Heltne (1868-1936), a Norwegian-American author and journalist who immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century. He wrote several books about his experiences as an immigrant and was known for his advocacy of Norwegian-American culture and heritage.
In the early 20th century, the name gained recognition through the work of Olav Heltne (1890-1967), a Norwegian geologist and explorer who led several scientific expeditions to Svalbard and other Arctic regions. His contributions to the field of glaciology and Arctic exploration earned him widespread recognition within the scientific community.
One of the most notable bearers of the Heltne name in recent history was Rolf Heltne (1939-2020), a Norwegian-American biologist and conservationist. He was the founder and former president of the International Snow Leopard Trust, an organization dedicated to the conservation of the endangered snow leopard and its habitat in Central Asia.
While the surname Heltne is relatively uncommon outside of Norway and Norwegian-American communities, it has a rich history and significance rooted in the rugged landscapes and cultural heritage of its place of origin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heltne
Among Census respondents with the surname Heltne, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Heltne 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 Heltne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 108
- Two or more races6.8% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heltne
Heltne 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
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+12 bearers (+11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,258 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+11.3%) | Up 10,258 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 Heltne 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 | #153,769 | #143,511 | 6.7% |
| Count | 106 | 118 | 11.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heltne bearers went from 106 to 118 (+11.3% change). The surname moved up 10,258 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #143,511.
FAQ
Heltne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heltne?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Heltne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Heltne?
Heltne ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Heltne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Heltne.
Has Heltne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heltne went from 106 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 12 (+11.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Heltne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heltne, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.8%) and Hispanic (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 Heltne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heltne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (6.8%), Hispanic (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 Heltne (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 Heltne mean?
A Swedish surname potentially derived from a place 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 Heltne (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 share the surname Heltne?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.