2000
#9,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Herb
An English surname derived from a nickname for a man who grew or sold herbs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,564 Americans carry the last name Herb. That puts it at #9,915 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,171 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Herb 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
3.6K
1 in 96,171
Census rank
#9,915
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,108 bearers of the surname Herb in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9915th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Herb, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Herb
The surname HERB has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old German word "herb" meaning "bright" or "shining." The name likely referred to someone with a bright or radiant appearance or personality.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname HERB can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dated around 1270. The name appears as "Herbold," which was a common variant spelling during that period.
In the 14th century, the surname HERB began appearing in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. Records from this time show variations such as "Herber," "Herberg," and "Herberger," which likely stemmed from regional dialects and scribal errors.
The HERB surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Johann Herb, a German theologian and writer who lived from 1550 to 1616. He was known for his contributions to the Protestant Reformation and his works on biblical exegesis.
Another prominent figure with the HERB surname was Johann Baptist Herb, a German composer and organist who lived from 1658 to 1721. He was renowned for his sacred choral works and held positions at various churches throughout his career.
In the 19th century, Friedrich Herb (1817-1893) was a German painter and etcher known for his landscapes and genre scenes. His works are held in collections across Europe and are considered significant examples of the Düsseldorf School of Painting.
The HERB surname can also be traced to the town of Herborn in the German state of Hesse. The town's name, which dates back to the 8th century, is derived from the Old German words "heri" (army) and "born" (well or spring), suggesting a connection to a well or spring used by soldiers.
Another notable bearer of the HERB surname was Karl Herb (1925-2022), a German-American aerospace engineer who played a crucial role in the development of the Saturn V rocket that propelled the Apollo missions to the Moon. He was awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal for his contributions to the space program.
While the HERB surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to emigration and diaspora. However, the core origins and historical significance of the name remain firmly rooted in its German heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Herb
Among Census respondents with the surname Herb, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Herb 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 Herb surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,876
- Two or more races2.7% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 74
- Black or African American1.4% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Herb
Herb 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
#9,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,282
+175 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 256 places
2020
#9,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,108
-174 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,598 | 3,107 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,854 | 3,282 | 1.11 | +175 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 256 places |
| 2020 | #9,915 | 3,108 | 1.04 | -174 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 61 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 Herb 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 | #9,854 | #9,915 | -0.6% |
| Count | 3,282 | 3,108 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.11 | 1.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Herb bearers went from 3,282 to 3,108 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,854 to #9,915.
FAQ
Herb surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Herb?
Name Census estimates that about 3,564 living Americans carry the surname Herb. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,171 residents.
How common is Herb?
Herb ranks #9,915 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 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 3,108 people with the surname Herb. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,564), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 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 Herb.
Has Herb become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Herb went from 3,282 recorded bearers to 3,108. That is a decrease of 174 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,854 to #9,915.
What does the Census say about the background of Herb?
Among Census respondents with the surname Herb, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Herb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,876 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Herb appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Herb (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 Herb mean?
An English surname derived from a nickname for a man who grew or sold herbs. 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 Herb (1.04 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 people have the last name Herb?
See how common the surname Herb is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.