Find out how popular the last name Hennings is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hennings.

Hennings, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hennings surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hennings in America

Hennings is the 9382nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hennings surname appeared 3,467 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hennings.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hennings to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hennings

The surname Hennings has its origins in Germany. It emerged in the Middle Ages, derived from the medieval German word 'Henninges,' meaning 'son of Henning.' Henning was a Germanic personal name with obscure origins but believed to be associated with the Old Norse word 'henar,' meaning 'hen' or 'rooster.'

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hennings surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. The Hennings name appears in several legal documents and land transactions from this period, indicating its presence among the nobility and landowners of the region.

During the 14th century, the Hennings surname gained prominence in the city of Lübeck, a prominent member of the Hanseatic League. Records from this time show several notable individuals bearing the name, including Johann Hennings, a successful merchant and councilman who lived from 1320 to 1387.

As the Hennings family spread across Germany, variations in spelling emerged, such as Henninges, Henningsen, and Hennigs. Some of these variations were influenced by the local dialects and naming traditions of different regions.

In the 16th century, the Hennings name was associated with the city of Essen, where a prominent family of scholars and educators resided. One notable member was Johannes Hennings, born in 1542, who served as the rector of the Gymnasium Academicum in Essen and authored several works on theology and philosophy.

The Hennings surname also found its way into Scandinavia, particularly in Denmark and Sweden, where it was often spelled as Henningsen or Henningsson. In the 17th century, a notable figure was Niels Henningsen, a Danish astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1603 to 1667.

Other notable individuals bearing the Hennings surname throughout history include:

1. Gottfried Hennings (1638-1704), a German jurist and legal scholar from Saxony.
2. Adolph Friedrich Hennings (1694-1768), a German botanist and mycologist from Lübeck.
3. Friedrich Hennings (1848-1924), a German artist and painter from Hamburg.
4. Ernst Hennings (1886-1956), a German expressionist poet and writer from Flensburg.
5. Emmy Hennings (1885-1948), a German cabaret performer, actress, and writer, born in Flensburg.

Overall, the surname Hennings has a rich history spanning centuries and various regions of Germany, with branches extending into Scandinavia. Its presence can be traced back to the Middle Ages, and it has been associated with notable figures in fields such as commerce, education, science, and the arts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hennings

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hennings.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hennings was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hennings has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hennings was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hennings, please contact us.

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