2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hertzer
A surname potentially derived from a place name, possibly of German or Yiddish origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Hertzer. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hertzer 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Hertzer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hertzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hertzer
The surname Hertzer is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the region of Bavaria, during the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to have derived from the German word "Herz," meaning "heart," potentially referring to someone with a kind or brave heart.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hertzer can be found in the "Deutsches Familiennamen-Archiv" (German Family Names Archive), which mentions a Johannes Hertzer residing in the town of Nuremberg in the year 1349. This historical record suggests that the name was already in use by the mid-14th century.
The Hertzer name appears to have spread throughout various regions of Germany over the centuries. In the 16th century, records indicate the presence of individuals bearing this surname in the cities of Augsburg and Munich. During this time, variations in spelling, such as "Herzer" and "Herzzer," were also documented.
Historically, the Hertzer name has been associated with a few notable individuals. One such figure was Heinrich Hertzer, a German painter born in 1592 in Nuremberg, who was known for his religious and allegorical works. Another was Johann Hertzer, a theologian and reformer born in Saxony in 1516, who played a role in the Protestant Reformation.
In the 18th century, the Hertzer surname gained prominence in the region of Swabia, where several members of the family held positions of influence. For instance, Johann Michael Hertzer (1737-1809) was a renowned jurist and legal scholar who served as the chancellor of the city of Ulm.
Moving into the 19th century, the Hertzer name continued to appear in various historical records across Germany. One notable figure was Wilhelm Hertzer (1825-1888), a German architect and urban planner who contributed significantly to the development of several cities, including Mainz and Frankfurt.
Throughout its history, the Hertzer surname has maintained a presence in various parts of Germany, with some individuals and families potentially migrating to other regions or countries over time. However, the name's origins can be traced back to the heart of Bavaria, where it first emerged during the late medieval era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hertzer
Among Census respondents with the surname Hertzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hertzer 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 Hertzer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hertzer
Hertzer appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+7 bearers (+6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,911 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.1%) | Up 3,911 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 Hertzer 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 | #145,220 | #141,309 | 2.7% |
| Count | 114 | 121 | 6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hertzer bearers went from 114 to 121 (+6.1% change). The surname moved up 3,911 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #141,309.
FAQ
Hertzer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hertzer?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Hertzer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Hertzer?
Hertzer ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Hertzer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Hertzer.
Has Hertzer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hertzer went from 114 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 7 (+6.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Hertzer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hertzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Hertzer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hertzer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Hertzer (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 Hertzer mean?
A surname potentially derived from a place name, possibly of German or Yiddish origin. 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 Hertzer (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 Hertzer?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.