2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Hinsen
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Hinsen. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hinsen 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Hinsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hinsen
The surname Hinsen has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Low German word "hinnen," which means "to go" or "to depart." The name was likely given to someone who had moved from one place to another, perhaps a traveler or a migrant worker.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Hinsen can be found in the regions of Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia in northwestern Germany. It is possible that the name was initially associated with a particular town or village, as was common with many surnames during that time period.
One of the earliest known references to the name Hinsen comes from a church record in the town of Gütersloh, dated 1587. The record mentions a man named Hans Hinsen, who was a farmer and landowner in the area.
In the 17th century, the name Hinsen appeared in various legal documents and property records throughout northwestern Germany. Notable examples include Johann Hinsen, a merchant from Oldenburg who was born in 1632, and Gerhard Hinsen, a blacksmith from Münster who lived from 1658 to 1724.
As the name spread across Germany and into neighboring regions, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Hinnsen, Hinnssen, and Hinssen. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and the preferences of record-keepers.
One notable figure with the surname Hinsen was August Hinsen, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1838 to 1901. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant church and wrote several influential works on ethics and religious philosophy.
Another individual of note was Wilhelm Hinsen, a German artist and illustrator who lived from 1887 to 1957. His woodcut prints and etchings depicting rural life in Germany gained widespread recognition during his lifetime.
In the late 19th century, the name Hinsen began to appear in records outside of Germany, as families emigrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas. For example, a family by the name of Hinsen settled in the Netherlands in the 1870s, and another branch of the family was documented in Argentina in the early 1900s.
While the surname Hinsen has never been among the most common in Germany or elsewhere, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be traced back to its humble origins in the rural regions of northwestern Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hinsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hinsen 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 Hinsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 6
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hinsen
Hinsen appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+5 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+5.0%) | Up 7,986 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 Hinsen 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 | #160,975 | #152,989 | 5.0% |
| Count | 100 | 105 | 5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 17.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hinsen bearers went from 100 to 105 (+5.0% change). The surname moved up 7,986 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #152,989.
FAQ
Hinsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hinsen?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Hinsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Hinsen?
Hinsen ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Hinsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Hinsen.
Has Hinsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hinsen went from 100 recorded bearers to 105. That is an increase of 5 (+5.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Hinsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Hinsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hinsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Hinsen (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 Hinsen mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name in Germany. 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 Hinsen (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 Hinsen?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Hinsen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.