2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Henise
A variant spelling of the German surname Henisch, derived from a pet form of the given name Johannes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Henise. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Henise 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Henise in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Henise, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Henise
The surname Henise is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the 16th or 17th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "Henne," which means "hen" or "chicken," possibly referring to a person who raised or traded in poultry. The name may have also been derived from a place name containing the word "Henne."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Henise can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of Saxony, Germany, from the late 16th century. These records document births, marriages, and deaths within local parishes.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various documents and records across Germany, including tax rolls and land deeds. For example, a Johannes Henise is mentioned in a land transfer document from the town of Schmalkalden in 1642.
As the name spread throughout Germany and beyond, it underwent several spelling variations, such as Henise, Hennise, and Henisse. It is possible that the name was also influenced by the French spelling "Hénisse" or the Dutch "Henissen."
One notable figure with the surname Henise was Johann Wilhelm Henise, a German painter and engraver who was born in Neustadt an der Weinstraße in 1685 and died in 1767. His works adorned several churches and monasteries in the Palatinate region of Germany.
Another individual of note was Carl Friedrich Henise, a German mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1754 to 1819. He worked as a professor at the University of Göttingen and made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
In the 19th century, the name Henise began to appear in records in other parts of Europe and beyond, likely due to migration patterns. For instance, a Johann Henise is recorded as having emigrated from Germany to the United States in the 1840s, settling in Pennsylvania.
Another individual of note was Friedrich August Henise, a German-born painter who lived from 1803 to 1876. He is known for his landscape and genre paintings, many of which depicted scenes from the Black Forest region of Germany.
Finally, there was also a Johann Friedrich Henise, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1787 to 1858. He was a prominent figure in the German Rationalist movement and served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Henise
Among Census respondents with the surname Henise, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Henise 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 Henise surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 97
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Henise
Henise 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
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-5 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 2,650 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -5 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 2,650 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 Henise 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 | #151,532 | #154,182 | -1.7% |
| Count | 108 | 103 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Henise bearers went from 108 to 103 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 2,650 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #154,182.
FAQ
Henise surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Henise?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Henise. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Henise?
Henise ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Henise. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Henise.
Has Henise become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Henise went from 108 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Henise?
Among Census respondents with the surname Henise, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Henise in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Henise appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Henise (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 Henise mean?
A variant spelling of the German surname Henisch, derived from a pet form of the given name Johannes. 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 Henise (0.03 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 Henise?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.