2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hiltgen
A surname likely derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "battle protector".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Hiltgen. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hiltgen 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Hiltgen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hiltgen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hiltgen
The surname Hiltgen is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the regions of Bavaria and Franconia, where the name was first recorded.
One of the earliest known references to the name Hiltgen can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the 12th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Germanic personal name Hildwin, which means "battle friend" or "warrior companion."
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts, including the Breviarium Udalrici, a chronicle written by the Bavarian monk Ulrich von Neunkirchen. This document mentions a nobleman named Hiltgen von Wittelsbach, who lived during the reign of Emperor Frederick II.
The earliest known bearer of the Hiltgen surname was Konrad Hiltgen, a merchant from Nuremberg who lived in the late 14th century. Another notable figure was Johannes Hiltgen, a scholar and theologian born in Mainz in 1482, who played a significant role in the early years of the Protestant Reformation.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Hiltgen was associated with several prominent families in the German states. One such family was the Hiltgens of Augsburg, who were successful merchants and bankers. Another notable individual was Hans Hiltgen, a master glassmaker from Nuremberg, who lived in the late 16th century and was renowned for his innovative techniques.
In the 18th century, the name Hiltgen was also found in parts of Switzerland and Austria, where it was sometimes spelled as Hiltger or Hiltgen. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Johann Christoph Hiltgen (1732-1805), a celebrated composer and organist from Regensburg.
Throughout its history, the surname Hiltgen has been connected to various place names and locations in Germany. For example, the village of Hiltgertshausen in Bavaria is believed to have derived its name from the Hiltgen family, who were once prominent landowners in the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hiltgen
Among Census respondents with the surname Hiltgen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hiltgen 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 Hiltgen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hiltgen
Hiltgen 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,437 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+3 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,496 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,437 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.7%) | Up 1,496 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 Hiltgen 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 | #147,253 | #145,757 | 1.0% |
| Count | 112 | 115 | 2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hiltgen bearers went from 112 to 115 (+2.7% change). The surname moved up 1,496 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #145,757.
FAQ
Hiltgen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hiltgen?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Hiltgen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Hiltgen?
Hiltgen ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Hiltgen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Hiltgen.
Has Hiltgen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hiltgen went from 112 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 3 (+2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Hiltgen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hiltgen, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Hiltgen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hiltgen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Hiltgen (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 Hiltgen mean?
A surname likely derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "battle protector". 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 Hiltgen (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 are called Hiltgen?
Want to know how many people have the last name Hiltgen? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.