2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hernick
Of Germanic origin, alluding to someone from the town of Hernick or a person of heroic nobility.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Hernick. 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 Hernick 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 Hernick 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 Hernick, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.1%) and Two or More Races (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hernick
The surname Hernick has its origins in the Central European region, particularly in the areas that are now modern-day Germany and Austria. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th to 14th centuries. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "hern," which means "lord" or "master," and the suffix "-ick," which was commonly used in Germanic names to indicate a diminutive form.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Hernick can be found in the Annals of Regensburg, a medieval chronicle written in the 13th century. The name appears in reference to a local landowner named Heinrich Hernick, who was involved in a dispute over territory with a neighboring nobleman.
By the 15th century, the Hernick name had spread to various parts of Central Europe, with several notable individuals bearing the surname. In 1487, a merchant named Johann Hernick is mentioned in the records of the Hanseatic League, a powerful trading organization that dominated maritime commerce in Northern Europe during the Late Middle Ages.
During the 16th century, the Hernick family established itself as a prominent noble lineage in the region of Saxony. One of the most notable members of this family was Friedrich Hernick (1520-1587), a renowned scholar and theologian who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, the name Hernick appeared in various records across Central Europe, including the baptismal records of the city of Nuremberg, where a child named Anna Hernick was born in 1632.
As the centuries progressed, the Hernick name spread to other parts of Europe and beyond. In the 18th century, a Dutch explorer named Willem Hernick (1722-1798) gained fame for his expeditions to the East Indies and his contributions to the mapping of the region.
Another notable figure bearing the Hernick surname was Karl Hernick (1801-1873), a German philosopher and writer who was influential in the development of existentialist thought.
In the 19th century, the Hernick name continued to be prominent in various fields. Hans Hernick (1845-1912) was a renowned German architect who designed several landmark buildings in Berlin and other cities.
The 20th century saw the rise of several influential individuals with the Hernick surname, including the German physicist Wilhelm Hernick (1900-1976), whose research contributed to the development of quantum mechanics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hernick
Among Census respondents with the surname Hernick, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.1%) and Two or More Races (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hernick 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 Hernick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.2% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino9.1% · 11
- Two or more races6.6% · 8
- Black or African American3.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hernick
Hernick appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+6 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,832 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 2,832 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 Hernick 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 | #144,141 | #141,309 | 2.0% |
| Count | 115 | 121 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hernick bearers went from 115 to 121 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 2,832 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #141,309.
FAQ
Hernick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hernick?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Hernick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Hernick?
Hernick 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 Hernick. 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 Hernick.
Has Hernick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hernick went from 115 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 6 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Hernick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hernick, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.1%) and Two or More Races (6.6%). 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 Hernick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hernick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.2%), Hispanic (9.1%), Two or More Races (6.6%). 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 Hernick (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 Hernick mean?
Of Germanic origin, alluding to someone from the town of Hernick or a person of heroic nobility. 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 Hernick (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 Hernick?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.