2000
#10,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,962
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Hettinger
Derived from a German place name, referring to someone from any of several towns called Hettingen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,221 Americans carry the last name Hettinger. That puts it at #10,833 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,412 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hettinger 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
3.2K
1 in 106,412
Census rank
#10,833
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,809 bearers of the surname Hettinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10833rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hettinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hettinger
The surname Hettinger is of German origin, and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German words "hetto" meaning "heath" and "inger" meaning "dweller." This suggests that the name originally referred to someone who resided in a heathland area or near a heath.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hettinger appears in the "Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis," a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dating back to the year 1303. Here, a certain "Henricus Hettinger" is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Teltow.
In the 15th century, the name Hettinger can be found in various records from the German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. For example, in 1462, a "Hans Hettinger" is listed as a citizen of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, variations of the name such as "Hettinger," "Hettinger," and "Hettinger" were common in the Rhine-Franconian region of Germany. Notable individuals bearing this surname during this period include Johannes Hettinger (1523-1587), a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Heidelberg, and Philipp Hettinger (1598-1669), a German jurist and author from the city of Speyer.
As the centuries progressed, the Hettinger surname spread to other parts of Europe and beyond. In the 19th century, Johann Friedrich Hettinger (1819-1890), a German Catholic theologian and professor at the University of Würzburg, gained recognition for his scholarly works on moral theology and Christian ethics.
Another notable figure was Franz Hettinger (1859-1919), an Austrian-born architect who designed several notable buildings in Vienna, including the Hofburg Palace and the Burgtheater. Additionally, Gustav Hettinger (1854-1925), a German physicist and inventor, made significant contributions to the development of the electric furnace and the production of calcium carbide.
Throughout history, the Hettinger surname has been associated with various professions and fields, from academia and theology to architecture and science. While the name's origins can be traced back to the German heartland, it has since spread across the globe, carried by generations of families with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hettinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Hettinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hettinger 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 Hettinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 2,589
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 95
- Two or more races2.7% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 14
- Black or African American0.5% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hettinger
Hettinger 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
#10,358
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,111
+149 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 321 places
2020
#10,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,809
-302 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 475 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,037 | 2,962 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,358 | 3,111 | 1.05 | +149 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 321 places |
| 2020 | #10,833 | 2,809 | 0.94 | -302 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 475 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 Hettinger 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 | #10,358 | #10,833 | -4.6% |
| Count | 3,111 | 2,809 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.94 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hettinger bearers went from 3,111 to 2,809 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 475 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,358 to #10,833.
FAQ
Hettinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hettinger?
Name Census estimates that about 3,221 living Americans carry the surname Hettinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,412 residents.
How common is Hettinger?
Hettinger ranks #10,833 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,809 people with the surname Hettinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,221), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Hettinger.
Has Hettinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hettinger went from 3,111 recorded bearers to 2,809. That is a decrease of 302 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,358 to #10,833.
What does the Census say about the background of Hettinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hettinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Hettinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (2,589 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hettinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Hettinger (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 Hettinger mean?
Derived from a German place name, referring to someone from any of several towns called Hettingen. 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 Hettinger (0.94 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 Americans have the surname Hettinger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.