2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Herrlich
Of German origin, meaning magnificent or splendid.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 151 Americans carry the last name Herrlich. That puts it at #133,220 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,269,896 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Herrlich 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
151
1 in 2,269,896
Census rank
#133,220
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
132
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 132 bearers of the surname Herrlich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 133220th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrlich, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Herrlich
The surname Herrlich originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "herrlich," which means "magnificent" or "splendid." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was particularly impressive or admirable in some way.
The earliest known record of the Herrlich surname appears in a document from the town of Nuremberg in 1542, where a man named Hans Herrlich is mentioned. In the following centuries, the name spread to various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Prussia.
One notable early bearer of the Herrlich name was Johann Gottfried Herrlich, a German composer and organist who lived from 1658 to 1733. He was renowned for his contributions to the development of baroque church music.
In the 19th century, the Herrlich surname can be found in various historical records, such as church registers and census documents. For example, in 1842, a man named Friedrich Herrlich was born in the town of Schmalkalden, Thuringia.
Another prominent figure with the Herrlich name was Carl Gustav Herrlich, a German botanist and naturalist who lived from 1857 to 1942. He made significant contributions to the study of plant biology and is particularly known for his work on the flora of Central Europe.
Moving into the 20th century, one notable bearer of the Herrlich surname was Hans Herrlich, a German footballer who played as a defender. He was part of the German national team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup and was born in 1920, passing away in 1995.
It is worth mentioning that variations of the Herrlich surname also exist, such as Herlich and Herrlig, which may have emerged due to regional dialect differences or spelling variations over time.
While the Herrlich name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration. However, its origins can be traced back to the German language and the descriptive meaning of "magnificent" or "splendid," which may have been initially applied as a nickname to someone of remarkable character or achievements.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Herrlich
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrlich, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Herrlich 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 Herrlich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 132
Timeline
Historical Census data for Herrlich
Herrlich 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-17 bearers (-12.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,204 places
2020
#133,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+10 bearers (+8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.2%) | Down 21,204 places |
| 2020 | #133,220 | 132 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.2%) | Up 4,107 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 Herrlich 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 | #137,327 | #133,220 | 3.0% |
| Count | 122 | 132 | 8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Herrlich bearers went from 122 to 132 (+8.2% change). The surname moved up 4,107 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #133,220.
FAQ
Herrlich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Herrlich?
Name Census estimates that about 151 living Americans carry the surname Herrlich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,269,896 residents.
How common is Herrlich?
Herrlich ranks #133,220 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 132 people with the surname Herrlich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (151), 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 Herrlich.
Has Herrlich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Herrlich went from 122 recorded bearers to 132. That is an increase of 10 (+8.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #137,327 to #133,220.
What does the Census say about the background of Herrlich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrlich, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Herrlich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (132 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Herrlich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Herrlich (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 Herrlich mean?
Of German origin, meaning magnificent or splendid. 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 Herrlich (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 have the last name Herrlich?
Want to know how many people are called Herrlich? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.