2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Himmelheber
A German surname referring to someone who raised or lifted things heavenward.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Himmelheber. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Himmelheber 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Himmelheber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Himmelheber, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Himmelheber
The surname HIMMELHEBER is of German origin, with its roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in various regions across present-day Germany, particularly in areas where Low German dialects were spoken.
The name itself is derived from two Old German words: "himmel," meaning heaven or sky, and "heber," meaning lifter or raiser. Etymologically, HIMMELHEBER can be interpreted as someone who raises or lifts towards the heavens, possibly alluding to occupations such as builders, architects, or individuals involved in ecclesiastical structures.
One of the earliest recorded references to the HIMMELHEBER name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the medieval German state of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. In this codex, a certain "Hermannus Himmelheber" is mentioned as a witness to a property transaction in the town of Zwickau.
Throughout the centuries, the name has undergone various spellings and regional variations, such as "Hymmelheber," "Himmellheber," and "Hymmelhoeber." These variations reflect the linguistic diversity and local dialects within the German-speaking regions.
One notable bearer of the HIMMELHEBER name was Johann Himmelheber, a 16th-century German theologian and reformer born in Nuremberg in 1497. He played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation and was a close associate of Martin Luther.
In the 17th century, a certain Hans Himmelheber (1620-1692) gained recognition as a skilled stonemason and architect in the city of Augsburg, where he contributed to the construction of several notable buildings, including the Augsburg Cathedral.
Another prominent figure with the HIMMELHEBER surname was Friedrich Himmelheber (1765-1832), a German lawyer and political activist from Hanover. He was a vocal advocate for democratic reforms and played a crucial role in the establishment of the Kingdom of Hanover's constitution in the early 19th century.
The name HIMMELHEBER also found its way into the arts, with Wilhelm Himmelheber (1829-1905), a German painter and illustrator from Düsseldorf. He was renowned for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the Rhine region and the Black Forest.
In the 20th century, Karl Himmelheber (1901-1985), a German engineer and inventor from Munich, made significant contributions to the development of early automotive technologies, particularly in the field of fuel injection systems.
While these are just a few examples, the HIMMELHEBER name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout German history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the cultural fabric of the German-speaking regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Himmelheber
Among Census respondents with the surname Himmelheber, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Himmelheber 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 Himmelheber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 103
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Himmelheber
Himmelheber 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+8 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,763 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-19 bearers (-14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,999 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+6.7%) | Down 1,763 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -19 bearers (-14.8%) | Down 17,999 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 Himmelheber 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 | #132,206 | #150,205 | -13.6% |
| Count | 128 | 109 | -14.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Himmelheber bearers went from 128 to 109 (-14.8% change). The surname moved down 17,999 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #150,205.
FAQ
Himmelheber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Himmelheber?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Himmelheber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Himmelheber?
Himmelheber ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Himmelheber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Himmelheber.
Has Himmelheber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Himmelheber went from 128 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 19 (-14.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Himmelheber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Himmelheber, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Himmelheber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Himmelheber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Two or More Races (4.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Himmelheber (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 Himmelheber mean?
A German surname referring to someone who raised or lifted things heavenward. 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 Himmelheber (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 have the surname Himmelheber?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.