2000
#15,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,724
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Hiler
Of Germanic origin indicating an inhabitant of a hall or someone from a hilly region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,039 Americans carry the last name Hiler. That puts it at #15,792 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,099 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hiler 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
2.0K
1 in 168,099
Census rank
#15,792
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,778 bearers of the surname Hiler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15792nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hiler, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hiler
The surname HILER originated from the Old High German word "hilari" or "hilare", which means "cheerful" or "merry". It is believed to have first appeared in the region of Bavaria in present-day Germany sometime around the 11th century.
The name is thought to have been initially used as a nickname or a descriptive surname for someone with a cheerful or jovial disposition. It may have also referred to a person who was a jester or entertainer by profession.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HILER can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. The name appeared as "Hilare" in a document from the year 1268.
In the 14th century, the name HILER started appearing in various records across different regions of Germany, with variations in spelling such as "Hiler", "Hyler", and "Hylere". During this time, the name was also associated with places like Hilershausen, a village in the state of Hesse, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.
One notable person with the surname HILER was Johann Hiler, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1486 to 1560. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and worked closely with Martin Luther.
Another individual of historical significance was Katharina Hiler, a German nun who was born in 1512 and became known for her writings on religious subjects. Her works, including "The Mirror of the Soul", were widely read during the 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name HILER was found in records from the Holy Roman Empire, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. One notable example is Hans Hiler, a German artist and engraver who was active in the early 1600s and is known for his intricate woodcut prints depicting religious scenes.
As the name spread across Europe, it also found its way to other countries, including England. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in England was in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Somerset, where a Thomas Hiler was mentioned in 1642.
In the 18th century, a notable figure with the surname HILER was Johann Georg Hiler, a German composer and violinist who was born in 1707 and is known for his contributions to the development of the violin concerto.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hiler
Among Census respondents with the surname Hiler, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hiler 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 Hiler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 1,537
- Black or African American4.4% · 79
- Two or more races4.4% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 62
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hiler
Hiler 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
#16,993
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,672
-52 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.57
Rank movement Down 1,423 places
2020
#15,792
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,778
+106 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 1,201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,570 | 1,724 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,993 | 1,672 | 0.57 | -52 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 1,423 places |
| 2020 | #15,792 | 1,778 | 0.59 | +106 bearers (+6.3%) | Up 1,201 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 Hiler 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 | #16,993 | #15,792 | 7.1% |
| Count | 1,672 | 1,778 | 6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.57 | 0.59 | 4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hiler bearers went from 1,672 to 1,778 (+6.3% change). The surname moved up 1,201 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,993 to #15,792.
FAQ
Hiler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hiler?
Name Census estimates that about 2,039 living Americans carry the surname Hiler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,099 residents.
How common is Hiler?
Hiler ranks #15,792 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,778 people with the surname Hiler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,039), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hiler.
Has Hiler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hiler went from 1,672 recorded bearers to 1,778. That is an increase of 106 (+6.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,993 to #15,792.
What does the Census say about the background of Hiler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hiler, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Hiler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (1,537 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hiler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Black (4.4%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Hiler (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 Hiler mean?
Of Germanic origin indicating an inhabitant of a hall or someone from a hilly region. 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 Hiler (0.59 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 Hiler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.