2000
#6,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,774
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.77
Rare Last name
Hinrichs
A German surname derived from the personal name Heinrich, meaning "home ruler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,400 Americans carry the last name Hinrichs. That puts it at #6,873 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hinrichs 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
5.4K
1 in 63,473
Census rank
#6,873
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,709 bearers of the surname Hinrichs in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6873rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinrichs, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hinrichs
The surname Hinrichs is of German origin and can be traced back to the late Middle Ages, around the 14th century. It originated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in areas like Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. The name is derived from the Germanic personal name "Heinrich," which is a compound of the elements "heim" (home) and "rīc" (ruler or power), essentially meaning "ruler of the home" or "lord of the estate."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hinrichs can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dated around 1350. The name appeared as "Hinricus" and was likely a patronymic form, indicating the son of a man named Heinrich. Over time, the spelling evolved to include variations like Hinrich, Hinrichs, and Henrichs.
In the 16th century, the surname Hinrichs appeared in the tax records of the city of Hamburg, which was a major trading hub in northern Germany. This suggests that individuals bearing this name held a prominent role in the commercial and economic activities of the region during that period.
Certain place names and locations are also associated with the surname Hinrichs. For instance, the village of Hinrichshagen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany, is believed to have derived its name from an early settler or landowner with the surname Hinrichs. Additionally, the town of Hinrichsfehn in Lower Saxony may have a similar origin.
Notable individuals who carried the Hinrichs surname include:
1. Johann Hinrichs (1576-1647), a German theologian and professor of theology at the University of Rostock.
2. Herrmann Friedrich Wilhelm Hinrichs (1794-1861), a German jurist and politician who served as the President of the Hanseatic City of Bremen.
3. Gustav Hinrichs (1850-1942), a German-American chemist and geologist who made significant contributions to the field of mineralogy.
4. Carl Friedrich Hinrichs (1876-1936), a German-American architect known for his work in the Prairie School style of architecture.
5. Gus Hinrichs (1905-1982), an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox in the 1930s.
The surname Hinrichs has a rich history rooted in the northern German regions, and its presence can be traced back to the late medieval period. It has been carried by individuals from various professions, including academics, politicians, scientists, and athletes, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hinrichs
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinrichs, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Hinrichs 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 Hinrichs surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 4,406
- Two or more races2.7% · 129
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 115
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 34
- Black or African American0.3% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hinrichs
Hinrichs 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
#6,952
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,825
+51 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 405 places
2020
#6,873
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,709
-116 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Up 79 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,547 | 4,774 | 1.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,952 | 4,825 | 1.64 | +51 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 405 places |
| 2020 | #6,873 | 4,709 | 1.58 | -116 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 79 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 Hinrichs 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 | #6,952 | #6,873 | 1.1% |
| Count | 4,825 | 4,709 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.64 | 1.58 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hinrichs bearers went from 4,825 to 4,709 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 79 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,952 to #6,873.
FAQ
Hinrichs surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hinrichs?
Name Census estimates that about 5,400 living Americans carry the surname Hinrichs. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,473 residents.
How common is Hinrichs?
Hinrichs ranks #6,873 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,709 people with the surname Hinrichs. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,400), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Hinrichs.
Has Hinrichs become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hinrichs went from 4,825 recorded bearers to 4,709. That is a decrease of 116 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,952 to #6,873.
What does the Census say about the background of Hinrichs?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinrichs, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Hinrichs in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (4,406 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hinrichs appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Hinrichs (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 Hinrichs mean?
A German surname derived from the personal name Heinrich, meaning "home ruler." 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 Hinrichs (1.58 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 Hinrichs?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.