2000
#105,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 157
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Hilderbran
A German surname derived from personal names containing "Hild" (battle) and "brand" (sword).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 197 Americans carry the last name Hilderbran. That puts it at #109,465 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,739,870 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hilderbran 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
197
1 in 1,739,870
Census rank
#109,465
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
172
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 172 bearers of the surname Hilderbran in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 109465th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilderbran, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hilderbran
The surname Hilderbran is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "hildi" meaning "battle" and "brant" meaning "sword" or "blade." Therefore, the name likely referred to a skilled warrior or someone who excelled in combat with a sword.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Fuldensis, a medieval cartulary from the Fulda monastery in present-day Germany. This document, dating back to the 9th century, mentions a person named "Hildibrandus" who was a nobleman and landowner in the region.
The name also appears in the Annales Fuldenses, a set of medieval annals chronicling events in the Frankish Empire. These annals, written in the 9th century, reference a certain "Hildebrandus" who was a prominent figure involved in various military campaigns and political affairs of the time.
During the 12th century, a knight named Hildebrand von Sachsenhausen was documented as a participant in the Third Crusade, serving under the command of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. This Hildebrand hailed from the town of Sachsenhausen, located in what is now modern-day Frankfurt, Germany.
In the 14th century, a renowned German poet and statesman named Hildebrand von Eichstätt (c. 1310-1372) rose to prominence. He was a member of the Bavarian nobility and served as a councilor to several Holy Roman Emperors.
Another notable figure bearing the name was Hildebrand Veckinchusen (c. 1480-1554), a German Renaissance scholar and humanist from the city of Cologne. He was known for his writings on various subjects, including philosophy, theology, and classical literature.
Over time, the surname Hilderbran evolved and took on various spellings, such as Hildebrand, Hildebrandt, and Hildebrand, reflecting regional linguistic variations and adaptations. While the name is most commonly associated with German-speaking regions, it has also been found in other parts of Europe and beyond, likely due to migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hilderbran
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilderbran, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hilderbran 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 Hilderbran surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 161
- Two or more races5.2% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hilderbran
Hilderbran 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
#102,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 175
+18 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 2,686 places
2020
#109,465
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 172
-3 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 6,777 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #105,374 | 157 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #102,688 | 175 | 0.06 | +18 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 2,686 places |
| 2020 | #109,465 | 172 | 0.06 | -3 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 6,777 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 Hilderbran 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 | #102,688 | #109,465 | -6.6% |
| Count | 175 | 172 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.06 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hilderbran bearers went from 175 to 172 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 6,777 positions in the national ranking, going from #102,688 to #109,465.
FAQ
Hilderbran surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hilderbran?
Name Census estimates that about 197 living Americans carry the surname Hilderbran. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,739,870 residents.
How common is Hilderbran?
Hilderbran ranks #109,465 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 172 people with the surname Hilderbran. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (197), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Hilderbran.
Has Hilderbran become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hilderbran went from 175 recorded bearers to 172. That is a decrease of 3 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #102,688 to #109,465.
What does the Census say about the background of Hilderbran?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hilderbran, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (1.2%). 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 Hilderbran in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (161 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hilderbran appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (1.2%). 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 Hilderbran (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 Hilderbran mean?
A German surname derived from personal names containing "Hild" (battle) and "brand" (sword). 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 Hilderbran (0.06 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 are called Hilderbran?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Hilderbran at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.