2000
#9,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,242
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Hiner
Derived from a place name meaning "hennery," referring to a farm where hens were raised.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,503 Americans carry the last name Hiner. That puts it at #10,057 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,846 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hiner 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hiner with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 97,846
Census rank
#10,057
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,055 bearers of the surname Hiner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10057th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hiner
The surname HINER is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the German word "hin," meaning "toward," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a specific landmark or location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the HINER surname can be found in the town of Quedlinburg, located in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. In a 15th-century census record, a family by the name of Hiner is mentioned, indicating their presence in the region.
In the 16th century, the spelling variations of the name included Hyner, Heiner, and Heinert, reflecting the linguistic evolution and regional dialects of the time. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the German word "Hain," meaning "grove" or "wooded area," potentially suggesting a connection to a specific geographic location.
Notable individuals bearing the HINER surname throughout history include Johannes Hiner, a German Renaissance composer who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. His works, which included masses and motets, were widely performed and appreciated during his lifetime.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm Hiner, a German engineer and inventor born in 1822. He is credited with developing several important innovations in the field of textile machinery, contributing significantly to the industrial revolution in Germany.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure named Anna Hiner (1835-1915) gained recognition as a philanthropist and activist in the city of Frankfurt. She founded several charitable organizations and worked tirelessly to improve the living conditions of the underprivileged in her community.
Across the Atlantic, one of the earliest recorded instances of the HINER surname in North America dates back to the late 18th century, when a family by the name of Hiner settled in the state of Pennsylvania. This branch of the family may have originated from the Rhineland region of Germany.
In the realm of literature, the German author and poet Heinrich Hiner (1875-1942) left a lasting mark with his poignant works that explored themes of nature, love, and the human condition. His poetry collections, such as "Wanderungen" (Wanderings), were highly acclaimed during his lifetime and continue to be studied and appreciated by scholars and literary enthusiasts alike.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hiner
Among Census respondents with the surname Hiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Hiner 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 Hiner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 2,676
- Two or more races5.2% · 159
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 98
- Black or African American2.5% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hiner
Hiner 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
#9,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,390
+148 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 341 places
2020
#10,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,055
-335 bearers (-9.9%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 467 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,249 | 3,242 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,590 | 3,390 | 1.15 | +148 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 341 places |
| 2020 | #10,057 | 3,055 | 1.02 | -335 bearers (-9.9%) | Down 467 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 Hiner 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 | #9,590 | #10,057 | -4.9% |
| Count | 3,390 | 3,055 | -9.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.02 | -11.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hiner bearers went from 3,390 to 3,055 (-9.9% change). The surname moved down 467 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,590 to #10,057.
FAQ
Hiner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hiner?
Name Census estimates that about 3,503 living Americans carry the surname Hiner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,846 residents.
How common is Hiner?
Hiner ranks #10,057 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,055 people with the surname Hiner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,503), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hiner.
Has Hiner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hiner went from 3,390 recorded bearers to 3,055. That is a decrease of 335 (-9.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,590 to #10,057.
What does the Census say about the background of Hiner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hiner, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Hiner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (2,676 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hiner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Hiner (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 Hiner mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "hennery," referring to a farm where hens were raised. 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 Hiner (1.02 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 Hiner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.