2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Herbort
A German topographic surname referring to someone living near a protective shelter or lodging.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Herbort. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Herbort 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Herbort in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Herbort, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Herbort
The surname Herbort originated in Germany, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German words "heri" meaning army and "bort" meaning shield or protector, suggesting that the name may have been given to a person who served as a protector or guard.
The name was initially concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in southern Germany. Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name include Heribert von Herbort, a Bavarian nobleman mentioned in a 1187 charter, and Herbort von Augsburg, a knight from Augsburg who participated in the Third Crusade in the late 12th century.
By the 13th century, the name had spread to other parts of Germany, with variations in spelling appearing in different regions. In northern Germany, for instance, the name was sometimes spelled as "Herbart" or "Herbrath," while in the Rhineland, the spelling "Herbertz" was also common.
One notable bearer of the name was Johann Herbort, a 16th-century German theologian and writer who was born in Nuremberg in 1516 and died in 1580. He authored several religious works and was known for his contributions to the Protestant Reformation.
Another significant figure with the Herbort surname was Hans Herbort, a German artist and engraver who lived in the 16th century. He was renowned for his woodcuts and engravings, which often depicted religious scenes and portraits of notable figures of his time.
In the 17th century, the name Herbort was also found in the records of the Thirty Years' War, with several soldiers and military commanders bearing the name. One such individual was Hans Herbort von Aufsess, a Franconian nobleman and imperial field marshal who fought in the war on the side of the Holy Roman Empire.
The name Herbort has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Herbort in the Swabian region, which was first mentioned in records dating back to the 13th century. Additionally, there are several villages and towns in Bavaria and other parts of southern Germany that bear variations of the name, such as Herbertshausen and Herbertingen.
Throughout its history, the surname Herbort has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including nobles, clergymen, artists, and military personnel. While the name may have originated as a descriptor of a specific occupation or role, it has since become a recognized and respected surname in its own right.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Herbort
Among Census respondents with the surname Herbort, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Herbort 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 Herbort surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino7.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Herbort
Herbort 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
#130,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
-12 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,444 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-9 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,699 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #130,610 | 130 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 16,444 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 10,699 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 Herbort 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 | #130,610 | #141,309 | -8.2% |
| Count | 130 | 121 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Herbort bearers went from 130 to 121 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 10,699 positions in the national ranking, going from #130,610 to #141,309.
FAQ
Herbort surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Herbort?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Herbort. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Herbort?
Herbort ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 121 people with the surname Herbort. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Herbort.
Has Herbort become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Herbort went from 130 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 9 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #130,610 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Herbort?
Among Census respondents with the surname Herbort, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%). 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 Herbort in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Herbort appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Hispanic (7.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.5%). 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 Herbort (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 Herbort mean?
A German topographic surname referring to someone living near a protective shelter or lodging. 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 Herbort (0.04 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 share the surname Herbort?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.