2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hinzpeter
A German surname derived from the words "hinz" meaning journeyman and "peter" meaning Peter, suggesting an ancestor's name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Hinzpeter. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hinzpeter 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Hinzpeter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinzpeter, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hinzpeter
The surname Hinzpeter has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is a combination of two German words: "Hinz" and "Peter." Hinz was a common nickname derived from the German word "Heinz," a variant of the name Heinrich or Henry. Peter, of course, is a common given name.
The name Hinzpeter likely originated as a descriptive surname, referring to someone with the first name Peter whose father or another male relative was known as Hinz. This practice of using a father's or relative's name as a surname was common in medieval Germany.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hinzpeter can be found in the "Ratsbücher" (council books) of the city of Rostock, in northern Germany, dating back to the 15th century. These records mention a certain "Hintz Peter" as a resident of the city.
Another notable figure bearing the name Hinzpeter was Johann Hinzpeter, a German merchant and ship owner who lived in the 16th century. He was involved in the lucrative Baltic Sea trade, operating out of the port city of Lübeck.
In the 17th century, a Johannes Hinzpeter was recorded as a skilled blacksmith in the town of Greifswald, also located in northern Germany. His craftsmanship was highly regarded, and he is mentioned in the town's guild records.
The name Hinzpeter can also be found in historical documents from the region of Silesia, which was part of Prussia and is now divided between Poland and Germany. Hans Hinzpeter, born in 1698, was a prominent landowner and farmer in the village of Kleinitz (now Klińczyce, Poland).
In the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname Hinzpeter was Carl Hinzpeter, born in 1831. He was a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives and was known for his advocacy of liberal reforms.
While the surname Hinzpeter is not extremely common, it has persisted throughout German history and can be found in various regions of the country, reflecting the mobility and migration of its bearers over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hinzpeter
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinzpeter, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Hinzpeter 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 Hinzpeter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hinzpeter
Hinzpeter 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
+8 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 1,909 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-16 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,031 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | +8 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 1,909 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 16,031 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 Hinzpeter 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 | #126,018 | #142,049 | -12.7% |
| Count | 136 | 120 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hinzpeter bearers went from 136 to 120 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 16,031 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #142,049.
FAQ
Hinzpeter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hinzpeter?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Hinzpeter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Hinzpeter?
Hinzpeter ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Hinzpeter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Hinzpeter.
Has Hinzpeter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hinzpeter went from 136 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 16 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Hinzpeter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hinzpeter, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Hinzpeter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (118 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hinzpeter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Hinzpeter (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 Hinzpeter mean?
A German surname derived from the words "hinz" meaning journeyman and "peter" meaning Peter, suggesting an ancestor's name or occupation. 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 Hinzpeter (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 common is the surname Hinzpeter?
See how many Americans have the surname Hinzpeter on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.