2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Herrs
A German surname derived from the German word "Herr" meaning "lord" or "master".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Herrs. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Herrs 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Herrs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrs, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Herrs
The surname HERRS is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Low German word "herre," which means "lord" or "master." This name was likely adopted as a surname by servants or vassals who worked for a lord or nobleman.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HERRS can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dating back to the 13th century. The name is mentioned in a document from 1289, referring to a certain "Johannes Herrs" from the town of Spandau.
Another early record of the name HERRS appears in the Liber Censuum, a medieval tax register from the city of Nuremberg, dating back to the 14th century. In this register, a "Heinricus Herrs" is listed as a taxpayer in the year 1342.
During the 16th century, the surname HERRS began to spread beyond Germany and into neighboring regions, such as the Netherlands and Switzerland. One notable figure from this period was Hans Herrs (1505-1568), a Swiss Anabaptist leader and preacher who was imprisoned for his religious beliefs.
In the 17th century, the name HERRS appeared in various records across Europe, including the parish registers of the Church of England. One example is William Herrs (1620-1679), a merchant from London who was involved in the East India trade.
Another notable bearer of the surname HERRS was Johann Herrs (1738-1812), a German composer and organist who served as the court musician to the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg. His works include numerous religious compositions and organ sonatas.
As the name HERRS continued to spread and evolve, it took on various spellings and variations, such as Hers, Herrs, and Herres. One example is Johann Christian Herres (1776-1838), a German historian and professor at the University of Bonn, who wrote extensively on the history of the Papacy.
Throughout the 19th century, bearers of the HERRS surname can be found in various parts of Europe and beyond. For instance, Wilhelm Herrs (1835-1902) was a German-born architect who emigrated to the United States and designed several notable buildings in New York City.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Herrs
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrs, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Herrs 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 Herrs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 98
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Herrs
Herrs 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,364 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,364 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 4,734 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 Herrs 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 | #146,201 | #150,935 | -3.2% |
| Count | 113 | 108 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Herrs bearers went from 113 to 108 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 4,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #150,935.
FAQ
Herrs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Herrs?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Herrs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Herrs?
Herrs ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Herrs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Herrs.
Has Herrs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Herrs went from 113 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Herrs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Herrs, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Herrs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Herrs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Herrs (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 Herrs mean?
A German surname derived from the German word "Herr" meaning "lord" or "master". 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 Herrs (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 Americans have the surname Herrs?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.