2000
#18,656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,361
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.50
Rare Last name
Henneman
A surname of Dutch origin referring to a chicken farmer or dealer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,582 Americans carry the last name Henneman. That puts it at #19,571 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 216,659 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Henneman 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
1.6K
1 in 216,659
Census rank
#19,571
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,380 bearers of the surname Henneman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19571st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Henneman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Henneman
The surname HENNEMAN is of German origin and can be traced back to the 14th century. It is derived from the medieval German word "henne," which means "chicken," and the suffix "man," indicating a person or occupation. The name likely referred to someone who raised or traded chickens.
The earliest recorded instances of the HENNEMAN surname appear in various German church records and tax rolls from the late 14th and early 15th centuries. Some of the earliest known examples include Johannes Henneman, born in Nuremberg in 1387, and Hans Henneman, a farmer from Rothenburg ob der Tauber, mentioned in a land deed from 1412.
In the 16th century, the surname gained prominence with the scholar and philosopher Gregor Henneman (1520-1598), who was born in Augsburg and taught at the University of Ingolstadt. Another notable figure was Johann Henneman (1538-1610), a German Protestant theologian and professor at the University of Heidelberg.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, variations of the name emerged, such as Hennemann, Hennemannn, and Henneman, as families migrated across German-speaking regions. In 1721, a Johann Henneman from Saxony was recorded as one of the first German settlers in the British colony of Pennsylvania.
In the 19th century, the HENNEMAN surname spread to other parts of Europe and beyond. Friedrich Henneman (1802-1871) was a German-born architect who worked in St. Petersburg, Russia, and designed several notable buildings, including the Anichkov Palace. Another notable figure was Edith Henneman (1865-1944), a British suffragette and activist for women's rights.
Other notable individuals with the HENNEMAN surname include Johann Henneman (1785-1864), a German composer and organist; Karl Henneman (1873-1942), a German-American artist and painter; and Hans Henneman (1892-1978), a German politician and member of the Nazi Party during World War II.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Henneman
Among Census respondents with the surname Henneman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Henneman 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 Henneman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 1,239
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 65
- Two or more races3.0% · 42
- Black or African American1.2% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Henneman
Henneman 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
#23,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,099
-262 bearers (-19.3%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Down 4,549 places
2020
#19,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,380
+281 bearers (+25.6%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Up 3,634 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,656 | 1,361 | 0.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,205 | 1,099 | 0.37 | -262 bearers (-19.3%) | Down 4,549 places |
| 2020 | #19,571 | 1,380 | 0.46 | +281 bearers (+25.6%) | Up 3,634 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 Henneman 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 | #23,205 | #19,571 | 15.7% |
| Count | 1,099 | 1,380 | 25.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.37 | 0.46 | 24.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Henneman bearers went from 1,099 to 1,380 (+25.6% change). The surname moved up 3,634 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,205 to #19,571.
FAQ
Henneman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Henneman?
Name Census estimates that about 1,582 living Americans carry the surname Henneman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 216,659 residents.
How common is Henneman?
Henneman ranks #19,571 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.46 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 1,380 people with the surname Henneman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,582), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.46 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 Henneman.
Has Henneman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Henneman went from 1,099 recorded bearers to 1,380. That is an increase of 281 (+25.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #23,205 to #19,571.
What does the Census say about the background of Henneman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Henneman, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Henneman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (1,239 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Henneman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Henneman (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 Henneman mean?
A surname of Dutch origin referring to a chicken farmer or dealer. 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 Henneman (0.46 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 Americans have the surname Henneman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.