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

Hillenbrand, 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 Hillenbrand surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hillenbrand in America

Hillenbrand is the 13491st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hillenbrand surname appeared 2,252 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hillenbrand.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hillenbrand 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 Hillenbrand

The surname Hillenbrand originated in Germany and dates back to the 13th century. It is a locational name derived from the German words "Hille" meaning "hill" and "brand" meaning "clearing," referring to someone who lived near a hill clearing or burned area.

The name is believed to have first appeared in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, where many place names contain the word "Hille." It may have originated as a descriptive name for someone living near a specific geographical feature or as a habitational name for someone who came from a place called Hillenbrand.

Early records of the name can be found in various medieval German documents and chronicles. One notable mention is in the "Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae," a collection of Saxon charters and documents from the 13th century, where the name "Hillenbrand" is recorded as a witness to a land transaction.

The earliest known bearer of the surname Hillenbrand was Hans Hillenbrand, a farmer and landowner who lived in the village of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, in the late 14th century. Another early recorded individual was Johannes Hillenbrand, a monk and scribe who lived in the Benedictine monastery of Tegernsee in the early 15th century.

In the 16th century, the surname appears in various German town records, such as the "Bürgerbuch" (citizen book) of Nuremberg, where several Hillenbrand families are listed as residents. One notable figure from this period was Georg Hillenbrand (1516-1589), a wealthy merchant and city councilor in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Hillenbrand name spread throughout Germany and neighboring regions. Johann Michael Hillenbrand (1655-1722) was a renowned painter and engraver from Augsburg, known for his religious works and portraits. Another notable figure was Johann Baptist Hillenbrand (1743-1816), a Bavarian politician and jurist who served as the mayor of Munich.

In the 19th century, the surname Hillenbrand continued to be prominent in various fields. August Hillenbrand (1822-1892) was a German-American entrepreneur and founder of the Hillenbrand Furniture Company in Batesville, Indiana. Hans Hillenbrand (1877-1954) was a German architect known for his designs of public buildings and churches in Munich.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hillenbrand

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

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

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

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