2000
#107,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Heus
An archaic Low German word thought to signify a remote household or hut.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 156 Americans carry the last name Heus. That puts it at #130,360 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,197,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heus 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
156
1 in 2,197,143
Census rank
#130,360
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
136
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 136 bearers of the surname Heus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 130360th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heus, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heus
The surname "HEUS" is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old German word "hus," which referred to a house or dwelling. This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a descriptive surname, possibly referring to someone who lived in a particularly notable or distinctive house.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname "HEUS" can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a compilation of historical documents from the Saxon region of Germany dating back to the 10th century. In this collection, there is a mention of a landowner named Heribert Heus from the town of Merseburg in the year 978.
During the 12th century, the name appears in various records from the Holy Roman Empire, including the Annales Herbipolenses, a chronicle of events in the city of Würzburg. In this text, there is a reference to a knight named Konrad Heus who participated in a military campaign against the Hungarians in 1147.
As the use of hereditary surnames became more widespread in Europe, the spelling of "HEUS" evolved over time. In the 14th century, it appeared as "Heuß" in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg.
One notable figure bearing the surname "HEUS" was Johannes Heus, a German scholar and theologian who lived from 1492 to 1547. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg, where he worked alongside Martin Luther.
Another individual of note was Hans Heus, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1551 to 1610. He is best known for his intricate woodcuts and engravings depicting biblical scenes and allegorical subjects.
In the 17th century, the surname "HEUS" appears in records from the town of Goslar in Lower Saxony, where a family of merchants and traders bearing this name were prominent citizens. One member of this family, Johann Heus (1625-1698), was a successful businessman and served as a city councilor.
As the name spread throughout Germany and beyond, it also took on various regional variations in spelling, such as "Heuß," "Heusse," and "Heuss." These variations can be found in historical records from various parts of Europe, reflecting the mobility of people and the evolution of surnames over time.
It's worth noting that while the surname "HEUS" has a long and documented history in Germany, it has also been present in other regions, including the Netherlands and parts of Switzerland. However, the German origins of the name remain the most widely accepted and documented.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heus
Among Census respondents with the surname Heus, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Heus 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 Heus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.3% · 135
- Two or more races0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heus
Heus 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
#123,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
-13 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 15,499 places
2020
#130,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
-4 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 7,296 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #107,565 | 153 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,064 | 140 | 0.05 | -13 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 15,499 places |
| 2020 | #130,360 | 136 | 0.05 | -4 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 7,296 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 Heus 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 | #123,064 | #130,360 | -5.9% |
| Count | 140 | 136 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heus bearers went from 140 to 136 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 7,296 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,064 to #130,360.
FAQ
Heus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heus?
Name Census estimates that about 156 living Americans carry the surname Heus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,197,143 residents.
How common is Heus?
Heus ranks #130,360 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 136 people with the surname Heus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (156), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Heus.
Has Heus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heus went from 140 recorded bearers to 136. That is a decrease of 4 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,064 to #130,360.
What does the Census say about the background of Heus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heus, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (0.7%). 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 Heus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.3% (135 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.3%), Two or More Races (0.7%). 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 Heus (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 Heus mean?
An archaic Low German word thought to signify a remote household or hut. 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 Heus (0.05 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 common is the surname Heus?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Heus on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.