2000
#4,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,093
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.00
Rare Last name
Herbst
A German and Jewish surname referring to the season of autumn or the fall harvest.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,176 Americans carry the last name Herbst. That puts it at #4,290 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,353 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Herbst 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Herbst with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.2K
1 in 37,353
Census rank
#4,290
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,002 bearers of the surname Herbst in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4290th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Herbst, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Herbst
The surname Herbst originated in Germany, likely during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "herbst," meaning "autumn" or "harvest." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near a harvest field or was associated with agricultural activities during the autumn season.
The earliest recorded instances of the Herbst surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland. One notable historical figure bearing this name was Johannes Herbst, a German composer and organist who lived from around 1520 to 1570.
In the 16th century, the Herbst name appeared in several German records and manuscripts, such as the Nuremberg Chronicles, a famous illustrated world history book published in 1493. This suggests that the name had gained some prominence during this period.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Herbst surname spread to other parts of Europe as Germans migrated to neighboring countries. For instance, Johann Christian Herbst, a German-born entomologist and naturalist, lived from 1735 to 1812 and made significant contributions to the study of insects.
Another notable figure was Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Herbst, a German writer and philosopher who lived from 1743 to 1807. He was known for his works on aesthetics and the philosophy of art.
In the 19th century, the Herbst name found its way to North America as German immigrants settled in various regions of the United States and Canada. One example is Wilhelm Herbst, a German-American botanist and horticulturist who lived from 1825 to 1901 and made significant contributions to the study of plants and their cultivation.
The surname Herbst has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Herbstein, a town in Hesse, and Herbstmühle, a former village in Bavaria. These place names likely originated from the same root word as the surname, further reinforcing the connection between the name and the autumnal season or harvest-related activities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Herbst
Among Census respondents with the surname Herbst, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Herbst 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 Herbst surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 7,494
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 222
- Two or more races2.4% · 192
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 61
- Black or African American0.2% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Herbst
Herbst 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
#4,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,419
+326 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 2.85
Rank movement Down 180 places
2020
#4,290
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,002
-417 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 2.68
Rank movement Down 82 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,028 | 8,093 | 3.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,208 | 8,419 | 2.85 | +326 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 180 places |
| 2020 | #4,290 | 8,002 | 2.68 | -417 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 82 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 Herbst 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 | #4,208 | #4,290 | -1.9% |
| Count | 8,419 | 8,002 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.85 | 2.68 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Herbst bearers went from 8,419 to 8,002 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 82 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,208 to #4,290.
FAQ
Herbst surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Herbst?
Name Census estimates that about 9,176 living Americans carry the surname Herbst. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,353 residents.
How common is Herbst?
Herbst ranks #4,290 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,002 people with the surname Herbst. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,176), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Herbst.
Has Herbst become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Herbst went from 8,419 recorded bearers to 8,002. That is a decrease of 417 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,208 to #4,290.
What does the Census say about the background of Herbst?
Among Census respondents with the surname Herbst, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (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 Herbst in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (7,494 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Herbst appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (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 Herbst (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 Herbst mean?
A German and Jewish surname referring to the season of autumn or the fall harvest. 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 Herbst (2.68 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 Herbst?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.