2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Heyler
A German occupational surname derived from "heiler" meaning "healer" or "faith healer".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Heyler. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heyler 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Heyler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heyler, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heyler
The surname Heyler is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Middle High German word "heil," meaning "luck" or "fortune," and the suffix "-er," which indicates an occupation or characteristic. This suggests that the name might have originally referred to someone who brought good luck or prosperity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Heyler is found in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, in the German state of Bavaria, where a family by the name of Heyler is mentioned in a local chronicle from the year 1287. It is possible that the name was initially associated with a particular trade or profession, such as a healer or a purveyor of lucky charms.
In the 14th century, a man named Johannes Heyler was documented as a merchant and landowner in the city of Nuremberg. His name appears in various business records and property deeds from the time, indicating that the Heyler family had established itself as part of the prosperous merchant class in the region.
During the 15th century, the Heyler name spread to other parts of Germany, with notable individuals such as Johann Heyler (1450-1516), a respected theologian and professor at the University of Heidelberg, and Hans Heyler (1472-1537), a skilled craftsman and master woodcarver from the town of Augsburg.
In the 16th century, a family of Heylers was documented in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where they were involved in the local textile industry. One member of this family, Katharina Heyler (1523-1589), became known for her charitable work, establishing a fund to support the education of underprivileged children in the town.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Heiler, Heyler, and Heyller, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences of different areas. Despite these variations, the name's underlying meaning and connection to luck and prosperity remained consistent throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heyler
Among Census respondents with the surname Heyler, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Heyler 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 Heyler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 95
- Two or more races5.7% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heyler
Heyler 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-22 bearers (-16.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 28,998 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-2 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 807 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-16.9%) | Down 28,998 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 807 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 Heyler 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 | #151,532 | #152,339 | -0.5% |
| Count | 108 | 106 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heyler bearers went from 108 to 106 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 807 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #152,339.
FAQ
Heyler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heyler?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Heyler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Heyler?
Heyler ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 106 people with the surname Heyler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Heyler.
Has Heyler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heyler went from 108 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Heyler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heyler, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Heyler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heyler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Two or More Races (5.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%). 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 Heyler (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 Heyler mean?
A German occupational surname derived from "heiler" meaning "healer" or "faith healer". 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 Heyler (0.04 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 people have the last name Heyler?
You can see how many people are called Heyler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.