2000
#100,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 167
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Hinterberger
A German surname meaning "from behind the mountain" or "someone who lived behind a mountain."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 162 Americans carry the last name Hinterberger. That puts it at #127,013 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,115,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hinterberger 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
162
1 in 2,115,768
Census rank
#127,013
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
141
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 141 bearers of the surname Hinterberger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 127013th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinterberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hinterberger
The surname HINTERBERGER originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely in the late medieval or early modern period. It is a locational surname, indicating that the original bearer came from a place called Hinterberg or a similar name.
The prefix "Hinter-" in German means "behind" or "at the back of," while "Berg" means "mountain" or "hill." Therefore, the name HINTERBERGER would have referred to someone who lived near or behind a particular mountain or hill. This naming convention was common in many Germanic cultures, where people were often identified by their place of origin or residence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name HINTERBERGER can be found in the town records of Hirschberg, Silesia (now Jelenia Góra, Poland), dating back to the 16th century. The name is mentioned in connection with a family of landowners and burghers who held significant influence in the region.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the name HINTERBERGER was Johann Georg Hinterberger (1630-1701), a German physician and alchemist from Nuremberg. He published several works on medical and alchemical topics, contributing to the scientific knowledge of his time.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Friedrich Hinterberger (1792-1854), an Austrian painter and engraver known for his landscapes and architectural works. He trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and gained recognition for his skillful depictions of Austrian scenery.
During the 19th century, the HINTERBERGER name appeared in various records across German-speaking regions, including Bavaria, Austria, and Switzerland. For example, Johann Hinterberger (1815-1879) was a Bavarian politician and jurist who served as a member of the Landtag (state parliament) for several terms.
In more recent history, Hans Hinterberger (1907-1989) was an Austrian politician and lawyer who played a significant role in the reconstruction of Austria after World War II. He served as the Minister of Finance and Vice-Chancellor during the 1960s and contributed to the country's economic recovery.
The name HINTERBERGER has also been associated with various place names and localities throughout Germany, Austria, and neighboring regions, reflecting the geographic origins of the surname. Examples include Hinterberg, a municipality in the district of Vorau in Styria, Austria, and Hinterbergen, a village in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hinterberger
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinterberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hinterberger 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 Hinterberger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 130
- Two or more races3.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 3
- Black or African American1.4% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hinterberger
Hinterberger 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
#108,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 163
-4 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 8,540 places
2020
#127,013
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
-22 bearers (-13.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 18,279 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #100,194 | 167 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #108,734 | 163 | 0.06 | -4 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 8,540 places |
| 2020 | #127,013 | 141 | 0.05 | -22 bearers (-13.5%) | Down 18,279 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 Hinterberger 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 | #108,734 | #127,013 | -16.8% |
| Count | 163 | 141 | -13.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.05 | -21.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hinterberger bearers went from 163 to 141 (-13.5% change). The surname moved down 18,279 positions in the national ranking, going from #108,734 to #127,013.
FAQ
Hinterberger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hinterberger?
Name Census estimates that about 162 living Americans carry the surname Hinterberger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,115,768 residents.
How common is Hinterberger?
Hinterberger ranks #127,013 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 141 people with the surname Hinterberger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (162), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Hinterberger.
Has Hinterberger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hinterberger went from 163 recorded bearers to 141. That is a decrease of 22 (-13.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #108,734 to #127,013.
What does the Census say about the background of Hinterberger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinterberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Hinterberger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (130 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hinterberger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Hinterberger (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 Hinterberger mean?
A German surname meaning "from behind the mountain" or "someone who lived behind a mountain." 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 Hinterberger (0.05 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 common is the surname Hinterberger?
Want to know how many people have the surname Hinterberger? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.