2000
#9,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,045
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Hepner
Derived from a German place name, likely referring to someone who lived near a hill or mountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,211 Americans carry the last name Hepner. That puts it at #10,870 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,744 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hepner 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
3.2K
1 in 106,744
Census rank
#10,870
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,800 bearers of the surname Hepner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10870th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hepner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hepner
The surname Hepner has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages, likely in the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the German word "hepner," which referred to a person who crafted or sold hops, an essential ingredient in the brewing of beer. This occupation-based surname suggests that the earliest bearers of this name were involved in the cultivation or trade of hops.
The name Hepner is found in various historical records from the German states, with some of the earliest known instances appearing in municipal archives and church registers from the 15th and 16th centuries. For example, a certain Hans Hepner is mentioned in a document from the city of Nuremberg, dated 1472.
In the late 16th century, the name Hepner was also recorded in the town of Reutlingen, located in what is now the state of Baden-Württemberg. The town's historical records from that period reference a family by the name of Hepner, which may have been involved in the local brewing industry.
Over the centuries, the surname Hepner has been subject to various spelling variations, such as Hepner, Heppner, Heppener, and Hepfner. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spellings common in earlier times.
One notable bearer of the Hepner surname was Johann Hepner, a German theologian and author who lived in the 17th century (1623-1683). He wrote several works on religious subjects and served as a pastor in various German towns.
Another figure of historical significance was Christoph Hepner, a German composer and organist who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries (circa 1570-1635). He is known for his contributions to the development of the chorale prelude, a musical form that became popular in Protestant church music during the Baroque period.
In the 19th century, a prominent Hepner was Friedrich Hepner, a German painter and engraver who was born in 1810 and died in 1886. He is particularly known for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting scenes from the Bavarian Alps.
Another notable individual with the surname Hepner was Karl Hepner, a German-American author and journalist who lived from 1872 to 1945. He emigrated to the United States in the late 19th century and worked as a writer and editor for various German-language publications in New York City.
While the Hepner surname is relatively uncommon today, it continues to hold a place in the historical records of Germany and other regions where German immigrants settled. The name serves as a reminder of the rich cultural heritage associated with the brewing industry and the skilled craftsmen who played a vital role in its development.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hepner
Among Census respondents with the surname Hepner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hepner 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 Hepner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 2,581
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 92
- Two or more races2.9% · 80
- Black or African American0.8% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hepner
Hepner 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
#10,772
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,961
-84 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 966 places
2020
#10,870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,800
-161 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 98 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,806 | 3,045 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,772 | 2,961 | 1.00 | -84 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 966 places |
| 2020 | #10,870 | 2,800 | 0.94 | -161 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 98 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 Hepner 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 | #10,772 | #10,870 | -0.9% |
| Count | 2,961 | 2,800 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.00 | 0.94 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hepner bearers went from 2,961 to 2,800 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 98 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,772 to #10,870.
FAQ
Hepner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hepner?
Name Census estimates that about 3,211 living Americans carry the surname Hepner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,744 residents.
How common is Hepner?
Hepner ranks #10,870 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,800 people with the surname Hepner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,211), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hepner.
Has Hepner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hepner went from 2,961 recorded bearers to 2,800. That is a decrease of 161 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,772 to #10,870.
What does the Census say about the background of Hepner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hepner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Hepner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (2,581 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hepner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Hepner (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 Hepner mean?
Derived from a German place name, likely referring to someone who lived near a hill or mountain. 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 Hepner (0.94 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 Hepner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.