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

Herder, 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 Herder surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Herder in America

Herder is the 21429th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Herder surname appeared 1,220 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 Herder.

We can also compare 2010 data for Herder 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 Herder

The surname Herder is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "Hirt," meaning "herdsman" or "shepherd," indicating that the earliest bearers of this name were likely engaged in tending to flocks of sheep or cattle.

The name Herder first appeared in historical records in the 14th century, primarily concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in southern Germany. One of the earliest documented instances is found in the Nürnberger Bürgerbuch, a registry of citizens in Nuremberg, which lists a certain Cuntz Herder in the year 1386.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name Herder began to spread across various German-speaking territories, with variations in spelling such as Herdter, Härter, and Herter emerging in different localities. These variations often reflected local dialects and phonetic adaptations.

Notable historical figures bearing the surname Herder include Johann Gottfried Herder (1744-1803), a renowned German philosopher, theologian, and literary critic, who played a crucial role in the Sturm und Drang movement and influenced the development of the Romantic movement in German literature.

Another prominent Herder was Theodor Gottlieb von Hippel (1741-1796), a Prussian jurist and writer who took the pseudonym "Theodor Gottlieb von Herder" in honor of his friend Johann Gottfried Herder. Hippel's work "Über die bürgerliche Verbesserung der Weiber" (On the Civil Improvement of Women) was a significant contribution to the early feminist movement.

In the 17th century, the Herder family established itself in the region of Saxony, with Johannes Herder (1617-1687) serving as a prominent Lutheran pastor and author of several theological works.

The surname Herder also has historical connections to the city of Erfurt in Thuringia, where the family Herder von Herderstein was prominent in the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable member was Georg Herder von Herderstein (1567-1625), a lawyer and diplomat who served as the Imperial Counsellor to the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II.

Throughout history, the surname Herder has been associated with various occupations, including shepherds, farmers, and later, scholars and intellectuals, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Herder

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

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

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

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