2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hirschberger
A German surname indicating one from a place called Hirschberg or "deer mountain".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Hirschberger. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hirschberger 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Hirschberger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hirschberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hirschberger
The surname Hirschberger originated in Germany, where it can be traced back to the 14th century. The name is derived from the German words "Hirsch," meaning deer or stag, and "Berg," meaning mountain or hill. This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive name for someone who lived near a mountain or hill where deer were found.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a church register from the town of Hirschberg in Saxony, dated 1372. This entry records a "Hans Hirschberger" as a resident of the town. The town of Hirschberg itself, meaning "deer mountain" or "deer hill," likely contributed to the development of the surname.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various records from the regions of Bavaria and Thuringia. A notable example is Johann Hirschberger (c. 1430 - 1492), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Nuremberg. His wealth and status suggest that the Hirschberger family had already established itself as a prominent lineage by this time.
During the 16th century, the surname spread to other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring regions such as Austria and Switzerland. One notable figure from this period was Andreas Hirschberger (1509 - 1569), a Lutheran theologian and reformer who played a role in the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, the Hirschberger name can be found in records from the Palatinate region of Germany. One example is Johann Philipp Hirschberger (1624 - 1692), a painter and engraver known for his religious artwork.
By the 18th century, the Hirschberger surname had spread to other parts of Europe, including France and the Netherlands. One notable figure from this time was Johann Baptist Hirschberger (1721 - 1789), a Bavarian artist and sculptor who worked in the Rococo style.
Over the centuries, the Hirschberger name has been associated with various occupations, including merchants, artists, theologians, and landowners. While the name originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hirschberger
Among Census respondents with the surname Hirschberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Hirschberger 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 Hirschberger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hirschberger
Hirschberger 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
-7 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,813 places
2020
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-25 bearers (-20.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 20,412 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 13,813 places |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -25 bearers (-20.2%) | Down 20,412 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 Hirschberger 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 | #135,593 | #156,005 | -15.1% |
| Count | 124 | 99 | -20.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hirschberger bearers went from 124 to 99 (-20.2% change). The surname moved down 20,412 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #156,005.
FAQ
Hirschberger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hirschberger?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Hirschberger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Hirschberger?
Hirschberger ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Hirschberger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Hirschberger.
Has Hirschberger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hirschberger went from 124 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 25 (-20.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Hirschberger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hirschberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Hirschberger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hirschberger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.0%), Hispanic (2.0%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Hirschberger (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 Hirschberger mean?
A German surname indicating one from a place called Hirschberg or "deer 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 Hirschberger (0.03 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 Hirschberger?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.