2000
#17,799
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,450
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.54
Rare Last name
Hertzler
A German surname originally denoting someone who lived near or beside a deer park.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,264 Americans carry the last name Hertzler. That puts it at #14,522 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,393 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hertzler 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
2.3K
1 in 151,393
Census rank
#14,522
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,974 bearers of the surname Hertzler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14522nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hertzler, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hertzler
The surname Hertzler is of German origin, originating in the regions of Germany and Switzerland during the late 16th to early 18th centuries. It is derived from the German word "Herz," meaning heart, and is likely an occupational name referring to someone who made or sold heart-shaped items, such as cookies or pastries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hertzler name can be found in the town records of Glarus, Switzerland, where a Johann Hertzler is mentioned in 1617. Another early reference is found in the church records of Strasbourg, France, where a Hans Hertzler was baptized in 1639.
The name Hertzler is also closely linked to the Amish and Mennonite communities in Pennsylvania, USA. Many Hertzlers immigrated to Pennsylvania from Germany and Switzerland in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, seeking religious freedom and new opportunities. One of the first recorded Hertzlers in Pennsylvania was Christian Hertzler, who arrived in 1738 and settled in Lancaster County.
Notable individuals with the surname Hertzler include Johann Hertzler (1773-1850), a German-born American musician and composer who wrote the music for the famous song "The Star-Spangled Banner." Another prominent Hertzler was Daniel Hertzler (1878-1963), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Hertzler Research Foundation, dedicated to medical research.
In the 19th century, the Hertzler name was also found in other parts of the United States, such as Ohio and Indiana. One notable Hertzler from this period was William Hertzler (1815-1892), a Union soldier during the American Civil War who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in the Battle of Gettysburg.
Other historical figures bearing the Hertzler name include John Hertzler (1950-), an American actor best known for his role as General Martok in the Star Trek franchise, and Doris Hertzler (1925-2013), an American artist and illustrator whose work was featured in numerous children's books and magazines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hertzler
Among Census respondents with the surname Hertzler, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hertzler 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 Hertzler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.9% · 1,874
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 42
- Two or more races1.8% · 35
- Black or African American0.6% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hertzler
Hertzler 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
#15,719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,855
+405 bearers (+27.9%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Up 2,080 places
2020
#14,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,974
+119 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Up 1,197 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,799 | 1,450 | 0.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,719 | 1,855 | 0.63 | +405 bearers (+27.9%) | Up 2,080 places |
| 2020 | #14,522 | 1,974 | 0.66 | +119 bearers (+6.4%) | Up 1,197 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 Hertzler 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 | #15,719 | #14,522 | 7.6% |
| Count | 1,855 | 1,974 | 6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.66 | 4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hertzler bearers went from 1,855 to 1,974 (+6.4% change). The surname moved up 1,197 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,719 to #14,522.
FAQ
Hertzler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hertzler?
Name Census estimates that about 2,264 living Americans carry the surname Hertzler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,393 residents.
How common is Hertzler?
Hertzler ranks #14,522 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,974 people with the surname Hertzler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,264), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hertzler.
Has Hertzler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hertzler went from 1,855 recorded bearers to 1,974. That is an increase of 119 (+6.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,719 to #14,522.
What does the Census say about the background of Hertzler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hertzler, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (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 Hertzler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.9% (1,874 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hertzler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.9%), Hispanic (2.1%), Two or More Races (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 Hertzler (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 Hertzler mean?
A German surname originally denoting someone who lived near or beside a deer park. 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 Hertzler (0.66 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 share the surname Hertzler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.