2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hesemann
A surname of German origin, possibly derived from the town of Hesemann.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 147 Americans carry the last name Hesemann. That puts it at #136,082 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,331,662 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hesemann 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
147
1 in 2,331,662
Census rank
#136,082
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
128
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 128 bearers of the surname Hesemann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 136082nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hesemann, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hesemann
The surname HESEMANN is of German origin, derived from the Old German personal name "Hesso" or "Hesso". This name is thought to have originated in the Rhineland region of Germany during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town of Hesse, located in the German state of Hesse, where it was likely first used as a place name before becoming a surname. The name may have also been influenced by the Low German word "hese", meaning "hoarse" or "husky", potentially referring to a person's voice or manner of speaking.
In the 14th century, a document from the city of Cologne mentions a "Johannes Hesemann", suggesting the surname was already in use by that time. Another early record dates back to 1492, when a "Hans Hesemann" is mentioned in the records of the town of Mühlhausen, located in the German state of Thuringia.
Notable individuals bearing the HESEMANN surname include Johann Philipp Hesemann (1636-1692), a German composer and organist from Halle, and Karl Hesemann (1825-1891), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin during the 19th century.
In the 20th century, Hans Hesemann (1903-1994) was a German author and journalist known for his writings on occult and esoteric topics. Another noteworthy figure was Wilfried Hesemann (born 1957), a German author and researcher who has written extensively on topics related to ancient civilizations and alternative history.
It is also worth mentioning that the surname HESEMANN has been found in various spelling variations throughout history, such as Hessemann, Heszmann, and Hessmann, possibly due to regional differences or errors in transcription.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hesemann
Among Census respondents with the surname Hesemann, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hesemann 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 Hesemann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.2% · 127
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hesemann
Hesemann 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,501 places
2020
#136,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+5 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 367 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 8,501 places |
| 2020 | #136,082 | 128 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.1%) | Up 367 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 Hesemann 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 | #136,449 | #136,082 | 0.3% |
| Count | 123 | 128 | 4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hesemann bearers went from 123 to 128 (+4.1% change). The surname moved up 367 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #136,082.
FAQ
Hesemann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hesemann?
Name Census estimates that about 147 living Americans carry the surname Hesemann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,331,662 residents.
How common is Hesemann?
Hesemann ranks #136,082 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 128 people with the surname Hesemann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (147), 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 Hesemann.
Has Hesemann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hesemann went from 123 recorded bearers to 128. That is an increase of 5 (+4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #136,449 to #136,082.
What does the Census say about the background of Hesemann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hesemann, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Hesemann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.2% (127 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hesemann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.2%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Hesemann (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 Hesemann mean?
A surname of German origin, possibly derived from the town of Hesemann. 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 Hesemann (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 last name Hesemann?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Hesemann on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.