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

Him, 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 Him surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Him in America

Him is the 38332nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Him surname appeared 578 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 Him.

We can also compare 2010 data for Him 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 Him

The surname HIM is believed to have originated in the northern region of Germany, specifically in the area around Hamburg, during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old Low German word "him," which meant "him" or "he," and was likely used as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who was particularly self-centered or egotistical.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HIM can be found in the Lübeck City Archives, where a merchant named Hans HIM is mentioned in a document dated 1472. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.

In the 16th century, the name HIM began to spread beyond its original German homeland. Records show that a family by the name of HIM settled in the Dutch city of Amsterdam in the 1570s. This branch of the family later produced a notable figure, Jan HIM (1564-1632), who was a successful merchant and alderman in the city.

The name HIM also made its way to England during this period, likely brought over by German immigrants. One of the earliest recorded examples is that of Peter HIM, who was born in London in 1587 and worked as a tailor.

As the HIM name spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as HIMM, HYMM, and HYMME. In the 17th century, a branch of the family emigrated to Sweden, where the name was adapted to the Swedish spelling HYM.

Notable individuals with the surname HIM throughout history include:

1. Heinrich HIM (1639-1712), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Prince-Bishop of Münster.

2. Johann HIM (1701-1781), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the calculation of planetary orbits.

3. Anna HIM (1785-1859), a Swedish novelist and journalist who was one of the pioneers of the feminist movement in Sweden.

4. Friedrich HIM (1828-1894), a German industrialist and inventor who patented several improvements to the steam engine.

5. Emilie HIM (1863-1944), a Danish painter and one of the leading figures of the Skagen Painters colony in Denmark.

While the surname HIM has its roots in northern Germany, it has since spread across Europe and beyond, carried by generations of individuals who have left their mark in various fields throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Him

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

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

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

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