2000
#83,004
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 211
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Hericks
A surname possibly derived from a place name, Herrick.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 243 Americans carry the last name Hericks. That puts it at #92,936 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,410,512 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hericks 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
243
1 in 1,410,512
Census rank
#92,936
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
212
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 212 bearers of the surname Hericks in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 92936th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hericks, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hericks
The surname Hericks is of German origin, derived from the personal name Herick or Herioch, which in turn stems from the Old German words "heri" meaning "army" and "ric" meaning "ruler" or "powerful." This suggests that the name may have been originally borne by someone in a position of military command or authority.
The earliest recorded instances of the Hericks name can be traced back to the 13th century in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it was often spelled as Herigge or Hericke. One notable early bearer of the name was Johannes Hericke, a landowner and nobleman from the town of Wittenberg, mentioned in records from the late 1200s.
Over the centuries, the name spread to other parts of Germany and underwent various spelling variations, including Hericks, Herichs, Herick, and Herricke. In the 16th century, the Hericks family was well-established in the city of Nuremberg, where they were involved in the textile trade.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several members of the Hericks family gained prominence in various fields. Johann Hericks (1622-1667) was a respected theologian and author, while Konrad Hericks (1701-1778) was a renowned painter and engraver whose works can be found in several European museums.
Another notable bearer of the name was Hermann Hericks (1835-1914), a German explorer and naturalist who travelled extensively in Africa and made significant contributions to the study of its flora and fauna.
In the 19th century, the Hericks name began to appear in historical records outside of Germany, as some members of the family emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One such individual was Johann Hericks (1820-1888), who settled in Pennsylvania, United States, and became a successful farmer and landowner.
Throughout its history, the Hericks surname has maintained a strong association with its German roots and military connotations, reflecting the bravery and leadership qualities that may have been attributed to its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hericks
Among Census respondents with the surname Hericks, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hericks 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 Hericks surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.5% · 211
- Two or more races0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hericks
Hericks 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
#90,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 203
-8 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 7,849 places
2020
#92,936
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 212
+9 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 2,083 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #83,004 | 211 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #90,853 | 203 | 0.07 | -8 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 7,849 places |
| 2020 | #92,936 | 212 | 0.07 | +9 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 2,083 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 Hericks 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 | #90,853 | #92,936 | -2.3% |
| Count | 203 | 212 | 4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hericks bearers went from 203 to 212 (+4.4% change). The surname moved down 2,083 positions in the national ranking, going from #90,853 to #92,936.
FAQ
Hericks surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hericks?
Name Census estimates that about 243 living Americans carry the surname Hericks. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,410,512 residents.
How common is Hericks?
Hericks ranks #92,936 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 212 people with the surname Hericks. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (243), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Hericks.
Has Hericks become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hericks went from 203 recorded bearers to 212. That is an increase of 9 (+4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #90,853 to #92,936.
What does the Census say about the background of Hericks?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hericks, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Hericks in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.5% (211 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hericks appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.5%), Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Hericks (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 Hericks mean?
A surname possibly derived from a place name, Herrick. 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 Hericks (0.07 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 common is the surname Hericks?
See how many people have the surname Hericks on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.