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

Hillegeist, 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 Hillegeist surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hillegeist in America

Hillegeist is the 129047th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hillegeist surname appeared 132 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 Hillegeist.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hillegeist 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 Hillegeist

The surname HILLEGEIST has its roots in Germany, originating in the early Middle Ages around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German words "hillio," meaning hill or slope, and "geist," which translates to spirit or ghost. This combination suggests the name may have referred to a person residing near a haunted hill or someone with a spiritual connection to a particular hilltop location.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the HILLEGEIST name can be found in a 14th-century manuscript from the city of Nuremberg. The document, dated 1367, lists a certain Hainrich HILLEGEIST as a landowner in the region. This suggests that the name had already been established and in use for several generations by that point.

In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the HILLEGEIST surname was Johannes HILLEGEIST, a Protestant theologian and scholar born in 1525 in Saxony. He is known for his contributions to the Reformation movement and his writings on biblical interpretation.

Another individual of historical significance was Christoph HILLEGEIST, a German military commander born in 1612. He served in the Thirty Years' War and is credited with leading successful campaigns against Swedish forces in the region of Pomerania.

Moving forward to the 18th century, there is record of a merchant named Friedrich HILLEGEIST, born in 1743 in Hamburg. He established a successful trading company that dealt in goods from across Europe and the Baltic region.

In the realm of literature, the name HILLEGEIST is associated with Wilhelmine HILLEGEIST, a German novelist and poet born in 1819. Her works, which explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition, were widely acclaimed during her lifetime.

As the centuries progressed, the HILLEGEIST name continued to spread across various regions of Germany, with some variations in spelling, such as HILLEGAIST and HILLIGAIST, appearing in historical records from different localities.

It is worth noting that while the HILLEGEIST surname has its origins in Germany, it has since been carried by individuals to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora over the course of history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hillegeist

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

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

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

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