Hessing last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Hessing

A locational surname indicating someone from any of several places named Hessing.

Hessing, 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 Hessing surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hessing in America

Hessing is the 51066th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hessing surname appeared 408 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 Hessing.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hessing 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank5106651458-0.76%
Count4083807.11%
Proportion per 100k0.140.140.00%

The history of the last name Hessing

The surname HESSING is of German origin, with roots dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "hes," which referred to a person with a hoarse or raspy voice. This nickname eventually evolved into a hereditary surname.

The earliest recorded instances of the HESSING surname can be found in medieval records from the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. One notable example is the mention of a "Johannes Hessing" in a 1328 document from the town of Nuremberg.

During the 16th century, the name appeared in various forms, including "Hessink," "Hessinger," and "Hessinger." These variations likely stemmed from local dialects and scribal errors in record-keeping.

In the 17th century, the HESSING name was associated with several notable individuals, such as Johann Georg Hessing (1597-1658), a German theologian and author from Nuremberg, and Hans Hessing (1628-1692), a prominent silversmith from Augsburg.

The 18th century saw the birth of Johann Peter Hessing (1736-1803), a German painter and engraver from Kassel, who gained recognition for his intricate landscape paintings and etchings.

In the 19th century, the HESSING surname gained further prominence with individuals like Carl Friedrich Hessing (1807-1892), a German architect and urban planner who designed several buildings in Berlin, and Gustav Hessing (1809-1892), a German historian and author known for his works on medieval German literature.

As the surname spread across German-speaking regions, it also found its way into other European countries through migration and cultural exchange. For instance, in the Netherlands, the name "Hessing" is believed to have been adopted by families of German descent.

Throughout the centuries, the HESSING surname has been associated with various professions, from artisans and scholars to religious figures and entrepreneurs, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hessing

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

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 Hessing was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only78.68%321
Non-Hispanic Black Only13.73%56
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races2.45%10
Hispanic Origin3.19%13

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 Hessing has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White78.68%80.53%-2.32%
Black13.73%13.16%4.24%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native(S)%(S)%(S)%
Two or More Races2.45%2.37%3.32%
Hispanic3.19%3.68%-14.26%

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.

Search
Search
Background shape