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

Hershner, 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 Hershner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hershner in America

Hershner is the 96368th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hershner surname appeared 189 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Hershner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hershner 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 Hershner

The surname Hershner is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, with the earliest known recorded spelling being Herschner. This name is thought to be derived from the German word "Hersch," which means "ruler" or "lord," and was likely an occupational surname given to someone who held a position of authority or governance.

One of the earliest documented instances of the Hershner name can be found in the records of the city of Augsburg, Bavaria, where a person named Hans Herschner was mentioned in a legal document dated 1537. This suggests that the name was already in use by the mid-16th century in that region.

In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Germany, as evidenced by records from cities like Cologne and Frankfurt. During this time, various spelling variations began to emerge, such as Herschner, Herschmann, and Herschmann.

The earliest known record of the Hershner name in the United States dates back to the mid-18th century, when immigrant families from Germany began settling in Pennsylvania. One notable early bearer of the name was Johann Herschner, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1749 and later established a farm in Berks County.

Throughout history, several individuals with the Hershner surname have achieved notable recognition. One such person was Peter Hershner (1795-1871), an American farmer and politician from Pennsylvania, who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1839 to 1843.

Another significant figure was Lillian Hershner (1886-1979), an American opera singer and voice teacher who performed with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City during the early 20th century.

In the field of academia, Dr. Max Hershner (1901-1987) was a prominent German-American physicist who made significant contributions to the development of nuclear physics and served as a professor at the University of Illinois.

The name Hershner is also associated with the famous Hershey chocolate company, founded by Milton Hershey (1857-1945), who was born with the surname Hershner but later changed the spelling.

Additionally, the German painter and engraver Johann Wilhelm Hershner (1738-1816) was a notable artist who specialized in landscapes and architectural scenes.

While the Hershner surname has its origins in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, through immigration and family migrations over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hershner

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

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

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

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