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

Hershey, 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 Hershey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hershey in America

Hershey is the 5623rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hershey surname appeared 6,182 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Hershey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hershey 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 Hershey

The surname Hershey is of German origin, derived from the German town of Hersfeld, located in the state of Hesse. The name originated in the early 13th century and was initially spelled as Herschfeld or Herschfelder.

Records from the 14th century indicate that families with the surname Hershey were living in various parts of central Germany, particularly in the regions of Hesse, Thuringia, and Saxony. The earliest known record of the name dates back to 1328, when a certain Johannes Herschfelder was mentioned in a document from the town of Eisenach.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, several Hershey families migrated to the United States, primarily settling in Pennsylvania and other parts of the mid-Atlantic region. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was in 1727, when Christian Hershey, born in 1701 in Switzerland, arrived in Philadelphia.

The name Hershey gained particular prominence in the late 19th century with the success of Milton S. Hershey (1857-1945), the founder of the Hershey Chocolate Company. Hershey was born in Derry Township, Pennsylvania, and established his chocolate business in the town that now bears his name, Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Other notable individuals with the surname Hershey include:

1. Andrew Hershey (1801-1868), an American businessman and founder of the town of Hershey, Pennsylvania.
2. Katharine Hershey (1915-1997), an American philanthropist and heiress to the Hershey Chocolate Company fortune.
3. Lew Hershey (1909-1986), an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox.
4. John D. Hershey (1856-1929), an American politician who served as the 18th Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania.
5. Jacob Hershey (1776-1849), an American farmer and landowner in Pennsylvania, known for his involvement in the Underground Railroad.

While the surname Hershey originated in Germany, it has become closely associated with the chocolate industry and the town of Hershey, Pennsylvania, due to the success and legacy of Milton S. Hershey and his family.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hershey

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

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

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

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