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

Hera, 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 Hera surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hera in America

Hera is the 84136th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hera surname appeared 223 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Hera.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hera 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 Hera

The surname HERA has its origins in Ancient Greece, deriving from the name of the Greek goddess Hera, the queen of the gods and the wife of Zeus. This name was likely adopted as a surname during the Byzantine period, when Greek culture and mythology still held significant influence.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname HERA can be found in the Codex Coislinianus, a 7th-century Greek manuscript containing texts from the New Testament. In this manuscript, there is a reference to a certain "Ioannes Hera" who was a scribe or copyist.

In the 11th century, the surname HERA appears in the historical records of the Byzantine Empire. A notable figure bearing this name was Michael Hera, a high-ranking military commander who served under Emperor Basil II and played a crucial role in the Byzantine campaigns against the Bulgarians.

During the medieval period, the surname HERA also found its way into Italy, particularly in regions with strong Greek cultural influences, such as Sicily and parts of southern Italy. One notable Italian bearer of this surname was Giovanni Hera, a renowned physician and scholar who lived in the 14th century and wrote several treatises on medicine and natural philosophy.

In the 16th century, there are records of the surname HERA in the Venetian Republic, where it was associated with noble families of Greek descent. One such family was the Hera di Candia, who traced their lineage back to the island of Crete (known as Candia in that era).

As the centuries passed, the surname HERA spread to other parts of Europe, including France and England. In the 19th century, there was a notable English painter named Thomas Hera (1825-1892), who specialized in landscapes and genre scenes.

Throughout history, the surname HERA has been associated with individuals from various fields, including art, literature, and academia. It remains a testament to the enduring influence of Greek mythology and culture on the naming traditions of various civilizations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hera

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

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 Hera 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 Hera 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 Hera was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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