2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hillje
A German surname derived from a word meaning "small hill" or "elevation."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Hillje. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hillje 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Hillje in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillje, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hillje
The surname HILLJE originated in Germany, specifically in the northern regions of Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
The name HILLJE is thought to be derived from the Old Saxon or Old Low German word "hild," which means "battle" or "war." It may have been used as a descriptive surname for someone who was a skilled warrior or had a reputation for bravery in battle.
Alternatively, HILLJE could also be a topographic surname, referring to someone who lived near a hill or a hilltop. In this case, the name may have originated from the Old Saxon word "hille," meaning "hill" or "slope."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the HILLJE surname can be found in the Bremische Jahrbücher (Bremen Annals), a chronicle detailing events in the city of Bremen from the 13th to the 16th century. The name appears in an entry dating back to the year 1387, referring to a certain Hinrich HILLJE, a prominent citizen of Bremen.
Another notable figure bearing the HILLJE surname was Johann HILLJE, a 16th-century German painter and engraver active in the city of Lübeck. He was known for his religious works, including altarpieces and woodcuts depicting biblical scenes.
In the 17th century, a family by the name of HILLJE owned a large estate in the village of Seedorf, near the town of Itzehoe in Holstein. The estate was known as the "HILLJE Hof," and it remained in the family's possession for several generations.
During the 18th century, a man named Claus HILLJE (1712-1783) was a successful merchant and shipowner based in the city of Flensburg, in what was then the Duchy of Schleswig. He accumulated significant wealth through his maritime trade ventures.
In the 19th century, a notable figure with the HILLJE surname was Carl Friedrich HILLJE (1812-1890), a German theologian and professor of theology at the University of Halle. He was known for his work on biblical exegesis and published several scholarly works on the subject.
Throughout its history, the HILLJE surname has been associated with various professions and occupations, from artists and merchants to academics and theologians. Despite its relatively rare occurrence, the name continues to hold a presence in parts of northern Germany and reflects the rich cultural heritage of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hillje
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillje, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hillje 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 Hillje surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.1% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino12.3% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hillje
Hillje 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+14 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,029 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-19 bearers (-15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,627 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +14 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 4,029 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-15.2%) | Down 17,627 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 Hillje 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 | #134,712 | #152,339 | -13.1% |
| Count | 125 | 106 | -15.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hillje bearers went from 125 to 106 (-15.2% change). The surname moved down 17,627 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #152,339.
FAQ
Hillje surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hillje?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Hillje. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Hillje?
Hillje ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 106 people with the surname Hillje. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Hillje.
Has Hillje become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hillje went from 125 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 19 (-15.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Hillje?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hillje, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Hillje in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.1% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hillje appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.1%), Hispanic (12.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Hillje (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 Hillje mean?
A German surname derived from a word meaning "small hill" or "elevation." 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 Hillje (0.04 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 Hillje?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.