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

Hessian, 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 Hessian surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hessian in America

Hessian is the 115639th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hessian surname appeared 151 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 Hessian.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hessian 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 Hessian

The surname Hessian originated in the region of Hesse, a state located in central Germany. Its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when surnames began to emerge as a way to identify individuals beyond their given names.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hessian can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the former principality of Anhalt, dating back to the 12th century. The name is believed to have derived from the word "Hessen," the German name for the region of Hesse.

During the Middle Ages, the name Hessian was often associated with soldiers and mercenaries from Hesse, who were renowned for their military prowess. This association was particularly prominent during the American Revolutionary War, where Hessian soldiers fought alongside British forces against the American colonists.

One notable figure bearing the Hessian surname was Friedrich Wilhelm von Hessian (1635-1706), a German military officer who served as a general in the Imperial Army during the Nine Years' War and the War of the Spanish Succession.

Another individual of historical significance was Johann Baptist Hessian (1779-1853), a German composer and music theorist who made significant contributions to the development of music education in the early 19th century.

In the realm of literature, the name Hessian appears in the works of Washington Irving, particularly his short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." In this tale, the infamous Headless Horseman is described as a Hessian soldier who lost his head during the Revolutionary War.

Beyond its military and cultural associations, the surname Hessian can also be linked to various place names within the region of Hesse, such as Hessian-Stadt, Hessian-Dorf, and Hessian-Berg.

Other notable individuals bearing the Hessian surname include Johann Friedrich Hessian (1671-1739), a German theologian and philosopher; Karl Hessian (1882-1950), a German architect and urban planner; and Wilhelm Hessian (1892-1962), a German artist and printmaker.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hessian

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

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

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

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