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

Heyse, 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 Heyse surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Heyse in America

Heyse is the 55386th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Heyse surname appeared 371 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 Heyse.

We can also compare 2010 data for Heyse 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 Heyse

The surname HEYSE has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the Low German word "hese," which means "hoarse" or "throaty." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a distinctive vocal quality.

In the 14th century, the name was first recorded in the town of Herford, located in the region of Westphalia, Germany. Early variations of the spelling included Heise, Heysen, and Heyssen, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time.

One of the earliest documented references to the name can be found in the Stadtbuch (city book) of Herford from the year 1388, where a certain Hinrich Heyse is mentioned as a resident of the town.

The name also appeared in other historical records, such as the Prussian census of 1688, which listed several families with the surname HEYSE living in the region of Brandenburg.

Notable individuals bearing the surname HEYSE throughout history include:

1. Paul Johann Ludwig Heyse (1830-1914), a German writer and novelist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1910 for his collected works.

2. Johann Christian August Heyse (1764-1829), a German philologist and lexicographer known for his contributions to the study of Greek and Latin languages.

3. Johann Gottfried Heyse (1763-1836), a German painter and engraver best known for his portraits and religious scenes.

4. Karl Wilhelm Ludwig Heyse (1797-1855), a German philologist and author who wrote extensively on German grammar and literature.

5. Johann Christian Heyse (1743-1816), a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the reconstruction of Berlin after the Seven Years' War.

While the name HEYSE is more commonly found in Germany, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and beyond through migration and cultural exchange over the centuries. The name is often associated with places like Herford, where it has deep historical roots, as well as cities like Berlin and Hamburg, which have sizable populations of HEYSE families.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Heyse

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

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

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

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