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

Hilgenberg, 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 Hilgenberg surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hilgenberg in America

Hilgenberg is the 35016th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hilgenberg surname appeared 644 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 Hilgenberg.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hilgenberg 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 Hilgenberg

The surname HILGENBERG originated in Germany, and its earliest recorded use dates back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old German words "hil" meaning "hill" and "berg" meaning "mountain," suggesting that the name was initially given to someone who lived near a prominent hilltop or mountainous region.

One of the earliest records of the HILGENBERG name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, which mentions a "Hilgenburgius" in the year 1284. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region during that period.

In the 15th century, a notable bearer of the HILGENBERG name was Johannes Hilgenberg (1435-1508), a German theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Cologne. He was known for his commentary on the works of Aristotle and his contributions to scholastic philosophy.

During the 16th century, the HILGENBERG surname appeared in various German records, including the Kirchenbücher (church registers) of several towns and villages. One notable example is Hans Hilgenberg (1525-1592), a prominent merchant and landowner from the town of Soest in Westphalia.

In the 17th century, the HILGENBERG name was associated with several prominent figures, including Caspar Hilgenberg (1609-1673), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Imperial Chamber Court (Reichskammergericht) in Speyer.

Another noteworthy bearer of the HILGENBERG name was Johann Hilgenberg (1690-1759), a German composer and organist from Magdeburg. He composed numerous sacred works, including cantatas and organ pieces, and served as the organist at the Magdeburg Cathedral.

As the HILGENBERG family spread across different regions of Germany, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as Hilgenburg, Hilgenbarg, and Hilgenbrock. These variations often reflected local dialects and phonetic adaptations of the original name.

Throughout its history, the HILGENBERG surname has been associated with various professions, including academics, merchants, lawyers, and musicians. While the name may have originated from a geographical reference, it has since become a distinctive family name with a rich heritage in German history and culture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hilgenberg

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!