2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hiber
A surname derived from the Irish word "ibhear" meaning "yew-tree."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Hiber. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hiber 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Hiber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hiber, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hiber
The surname HIBER is of German origin, originating in the late 15th century. It is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "hiber," which means "wild boar" or "male bear." This likely suggests that the name was initially given as a nickname or descriptive name to someone who displayed characteristics associated with these animals, such as strength, ferocity, or a tendency to live in the wilderness.
The earliest recorded instances of the HIBER surname can be traced back to the regions of Bavaria and Saxony in Germany. In the 16th century, the name appeared in various town and village records, such as tax rolls and church registers. One of the earliest documented references is found in the Kirchenbücher (church books) of the town of Wittenberg, where a certain Hans HIBER was recorded as a resident in 1532.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the HIBER surname continued to spread across Germany, with notable bearers including Johann HIBER (1620-1677), a Protestant theologian and author from Nuremberg, and Christoph HIBER (1675-1738), a philosopher and mathematician from Leipzig.
As the HIBER family members migrated and settled in different regions, variations in the spelling of the surname emerged, such as HIEBER, HUBER, and HUEBER. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the preferences of local scribes or record-keepers.
One famous bearer of the HIBER surname was Caspar HIBER (1670-1726), a German Baroque painter known for his religious works and portraits. His paintings can be found in several churches and museums across Germany and Austria.
Another notable figure was Georg HIBER (1801-1876), a German-American author and journalist who immigrated to the United States in the mid-19th century. He was a prominent figure in the German-American community of Philadelphia and published several books and articles on German culture and literature.
Furthermore, the HIBER surname is associated with several place names in Germany, such as Hibers, a village in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and Hiber, a small town in the state of Baden-Württemberg. These place names may have influenced the spread and distribution of the surname in their respective regions.
While the HIBER surname is not among the most common in Germany, it holds a rich history and has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, including theology, philosophy, art, and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hiber
Among Census respondents with the surname Hiber, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hiber 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 Hiber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 108
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hiber
Hiber 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-4 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,087 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 444 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 13,087 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 444 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 Hiber 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 | #146,201 | #145,757 | 0.3% |
| Count | 113 | 115 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hiber bearers went from 113 to 115 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 444 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #145,757.
FAQ
Hiber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hiber?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Hiber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Hiber?
Hiber ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Hiber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Hiber.
Has Hiber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hiber went from 113 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 2 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Hiber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hiber, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Hiber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hiber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Black (2.6%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Hiber (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 Hiber mean?
A surname derived from the Irish word "ibhear" meaning "yew-tree." 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 Hiber (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 share the surname Hiber?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.