2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Herte
A variant spelling of Hart, an English surname derived from the animal name for a deer or stag.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Herte. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Herte 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Herte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Herte, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Herte
The surname HERTE originated in Germany and is believed to have derived from the Old German word "heriz" or "herze," meaning heart. The name is thought to have emerged during the Middle Ages, likely between the 11th and 13th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the city of Cologne, where a certain Hermannus Herte was mentioned in a document from 1240. This suggests that the name was already in use in the Rhineland region at that time.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various records across German-speaking regions. For instance, a Heinricus Herte was documented in Mainz in 1332, while a Johannes Herte was mentioned in a document from Nuremberg in 1364.
The name HERTE was also present in some notable historical manuscripts. In the Codex Manesse, a renowned collection of medieval German poetry from the early 14th century, there is a reference to a knight named Herte von Wildonie.
During the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance period, the name spread to other parts of Europe. In England, for example, a merchant named John Herte was recorded in the city of Bristol in 1465.
Notable individuals bearing the surname HERTE throughout history include:
1. Hans Herte (c. 1490-1549), a German Renaissance painter and engraver from Nuremberg.
2. Theodor Herte (1583-1643), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Dukes of Holstein-Gottorp.
3. Christoph Herte (1628-1711), a German Baroque composer and organist from Nuremberg.
4. Johann Herte (1654-1733), a German architect and builder who worked extensively in the Palatinate region.
5. Franz Xaver Herte (1776-1848), a German artist and engraver from Munich, known for his landscape paintings and etchings.
While the name HERTE may have originated from the German word for "heart," it is also possible that in some cases, it derived from a place name or a topographic feature, as was common with many surnames during the Middle Ages and early modern period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Herte
Among Census respondents with the surname Herte, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Herte 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 Herte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 97
- Black or African American7.3% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Herte
Herte 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-14 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,614 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,952 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 21,614 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 2,952 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 Herte 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 | #147,253 | #150,205 | -2.0% |
| Count | 112 | 109 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Herte bearers went from 112 to 109 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 2,952 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #150,205.
FAQ
Herte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Herte?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Herte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Herte?
Herte ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Herte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Herte.
Has Herte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Herte went from 112 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Herte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Herte, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.3%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Herte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Herte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Black (7.3%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Herte (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 Herte mean?
A variant spelling of Hart, an English surname derived from the animal name for a deer or stag. 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 Herte (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 surname Herte?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.