2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hemen
An occupational surname referring to a hemp worker or maker of rope.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Hemen. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hemen 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Hemen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hemen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hemen
The surname HEMEN has its origins in the Netherlands, specifically in the northern region known as Friesland. It dates back to the 15th century and is believed to be derived from the Old Frisian word "hēmen," which means "a homestead" or "a small village." This suggests that the name likely originated from a place name or referred to someone who lived in a particular hamlet or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HEMEN can be found in the Frisian manuscript "De Jure Frisico," written in the late 16th century. This document contains references to several individuals with the surname HEMEN, including a merchant named Sjoerd HEMEN, who lived in the town of Leeuwarden around 1580.
During the 17th century, the name HEMEN began to spread beyond Friesland as people migrated to other parts of the Netherlands and even to neighboring countries. In 1642, a man named Pieter HEMEN was registered in the records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Amsterdam, indicating the presence of the name in the country's capital city.
Historically, the name HEMEN has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Bauke HEMEN (1610-1668), a Frisian poet and playwright who was renowned for his satirical works and contributions to the development of the Frisian language. Another famous bearer of the name was Jelle HEMEN (1725-1793), a prominent Dutch theologian and author who served as a minister in the city of Groningen.
In the 19th century, the HEMEN name gained further recognition with the birth of Tjalling HEMEN (1820-1897), a Dutch politician and statesman who played a significant role in the formation of the modern Netherlands. He served as the Minister of Finance and later became the Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1891 to 1894.
Another notable figure was Sietse HEMEN (1876-1942), a Dutch architect known for his work in designing several iconic buildings in Amsterdam, including the Beurs van Berlage and the Hollandsche Manege.
While the name HEMEN has its roots in the Netherlands, it has also been adopted by individuals in other parts of the world, particularly in countries with strong historical ties to the Dutch culture and language, such as South Africa and Indonesia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hemen
Among Census respondents with the surname Hemen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hemen 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 Hemen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 97
- Black or African American3.7% · 4
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hemen
Hemen 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,071 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-8 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,097 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 8,071 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 8,097 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 Hemen 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 | #142,108 | #150,205 | -5.7% |
| Count | 117 | 109 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hemen bearers went from 117 to 109 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 8,097 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #150,205.
FAQ
Hemen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hemen?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Hemen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Hemen?
Hemen ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Hemen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Hemen.
Has Hemen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hemen went from 117 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Hemen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hemen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Hemen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hemen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Black (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Hemen (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 Hemen mean?
An occupational surname referring to a hemp worker or maker of rope. 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 Hemen (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 Hemen?
Want to know how many people are called Hemen? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.