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

Hessler, 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 Hessler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hessler in America

Hessler is the 9437th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hessler surname appeared 3,447 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hessler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hessler 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 Hessler

The surname Hessler is of German origin, derived from the region of Hesse in central Germany. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, likely between the 11th and 13th centuries.

The name Hessler is thought to be an occupational surname, referring to someone who hailed from the region of Hesse. This region was historically known as Hassia or Hassia-Land, with the name Hessler being a derivative of these earlier regional names.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Hessler can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval Saxon charters and documents. In this record, a certain "Hermannus Hesselaere" is mentioned in 1291, indicating the presence of the name in the late 13th century.

During the 16th century, the surname Hessler began to appear more frequently in various records and documents across Germany. One notable individual bearing this name was Johann Hessler, a German theologian and reformer born in 1492 in the town of Lorch. He played a role in the Protestant Reformation and served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.

In the 17th century, the Hessler surname can be found in the records of the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), with several individuals serving as soldiers or officers during this conflict. One such person was Matthias Hessler, a German military officer who fought for the Protestant forces and was mentioned in the memoirs of Prince Christian of Anhalt-Bernburg.

Moving into the 18th century, the name Hessler became associated with various scholars and intellectuals. Johann Philipp Hessler (1737-1810) was a German philosopher and writer who published works on ethics and moral philosophy. Another notable figure was Johann Christian Hessler (1776-1853), a German geographer and cartographer known for his contributions to the study of topography and map-making.

In the 19th century, the Hessler surname continued to be prominent in academic circles. Karl Hessler (1824-1894) was a German philologist and historian who specialized in the study of ancient languages and cultures. He served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg and published numerous works on Greek and Roman literature.

As the surname Hessler spread beyond Germany, it also gained recognition in other parts of Europe and the Americas. One example is John Hessler (1845-1915), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Hessler Publishing Company in Cleveland, Ohio.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hessler

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

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

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

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