2000
#2,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,153
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.99
Uncommon Last name
Henning
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "hagan," meaning hedge or enclosure, and "harja," meaning army.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,954 Americans carry the last name Henning. That puts it at #2,264 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,091 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Henning 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 Henning with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,091
Census rank
#2,264
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,657 bearers of the surname Henning in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2264th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Henning, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Henning
The surname Henning is of German origin, originating in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German personal name Hanning, which is a combination of the elements "han" meaning "rooster" and "ing" meaning "descendant of". The name was likely initially given as a nickname to someone with rooster-like qualities or perhaps someone who kept roosters.
The earliest known records of the Henning surname date back to the 12th century, appearing in medieval German documents and charters. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Codex Traditionum Lunaelacensium, a 12th-century cartulary from the monastery of Lüneburg, which mentions a "Henningus de Bremis" in 1163.
The name is also found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which includes references to individuals with the surname Henning in the 13th and 14th centuries.
In the 14th century, the Henning family was well-established in the city of Lübeck, a prominent member of the Hanseatic League. Historical records from this period mention several notable individuals with the surname, such as Henning von Hesler (c. 1310-1388), a prominent merchant and member of the city council.
Another notable figure was Henning Arnswaldt (c. 1425-1491), a German military leader and commander of the Teutonic Order, who played a significant role in the Polish-Teutonic War in the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the Henning family gained prominence in the region of Saxony. One of the most notable members was Hieronymus Henning (c. 1522-1586), a German theologian and Protestant reformer who served as a court preacher to the Elector of Saxony.
The surname Henning also has a long history in Denmark, where it is believed to have been introduced by German immigrants in the Middle Ages. One of the earliest recorded Danish individuals with this surname was Henning Henningsen (c. 1570-1630), a wealthy merchant and shipowner from the city of Copenhagen.
Another notable Danish Henning was Henning Frederik von Staffeldt (1767-1808), a poet and writer who was a prominent figure in the Danish Romantic movement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Henning
Among Census respondents with the surname Henning, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Henning 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 Henning surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 13,946
- Black or African American3.7% · 587
- Two or more races3.4% · 525
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 435
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 110
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 54
Timeline
Historical Census data for Henning
Henning 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
#2,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,557
+404 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 5.61
Rank movement Down 143 places
2020
#2,264
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,657
-900 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 5.24
Rank movement Down 65 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,056 | 16,153 | 5.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,199 | 16,557 | 5.61 | +404 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 143 places |
| 2020 | #2,264 | 15,657 | 5.24 | -900 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 65 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 Henning 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 | #2,199 | #2,264 | -3.0% |
| Count | 16,557 | 15,657 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.61 | 5.24 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Henning bearers went from 16,557 to 15,657 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 65 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,199 to #2,264.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Henning
FAQ
Henning surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Henning?
Name Census estimates that about 17,954 living Americans carry the surname Henning. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,091 residents.
How common is Henning?
Henning ranks #2,264 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.24 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,657 people with the surname Henning. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,954), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.24 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Henning.
Has Henning become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Henning went from 16,557 recorded bearers to 15,657. That is a decrease of 900 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,199 to #2,264.
What does the Census say about the background of Henning?
Among Census respondents with the surname Henning, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Henning in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (13,946 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Henning appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Black (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Henning (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 Henning mean?
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "hagan," meaning hedge or enclosure, and "harja," meaning army. 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 Henning (5.24 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 Henning?
See how common the surname Henning is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.