Find out how popular the last name Hirsh is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hirsh.

Hirsh, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hirsh surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hirsh in America

Hirsh is the 13834th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hirsh surname appeared 2,185 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hirsh.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hirsh to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hirsh

The surname HIRSH originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German word "Hirsch," which means "deer" or "stag." This name was likely given to someone who lived near a forest or had some association with deer hunting.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the HIRSH name can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, dating back to 1523. In these records, a man named Hans HIRSH is listed as a resident of the city.

The name HIRSH also appears in various historical documents throughout the 16th and 17th centuries in different regions of Germany. For example, in 1612, a man named Peter HIRSH is mentioned in a legal document from the town of Freiburg.

In the late 17th century, the HIRSH surname began to spread beyond Germany's borders. In 1684, a man named Johann HIRSH emigrated from Germany to the Netherlands, where he settled in the city of Amsterdam.

One of the earliest known instances of the HIRSH name in the United States dates back to 1753, when a man named Jacob HIRSH arrived in Philadelphia from Germany. He later served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the HIRSH surname. One of the most prominent was Karl HIRSH (1856-1929), a German philosopher and educator who served as the rector of the University of Jena.

Another notable figure was Samuel HIRSH (1815-1889), a German-American banker and philanthropist who co-founded the Hirsh & Adler banking firm in New York City.

In the field of literature, Hermann HIRSH (1922-1994) was a German-American novelist and playwright known for his works that explored the experiences of Jewish refugees during World War II.

Additionally, Maurice HIRSH (1868-1934) was a French businessman and art collector who amassed a significant collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, including works by Monet, Renoir, and Cézanne.

Finally, in the realm of sports, Sammy HIRSH (1888-1963) was an American baseball player who played outfield for several Major League teams, including the New York Giants and the Boston Braves, in the early 20th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hirsh

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hirsh.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hirsh was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hirsh has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hirsh was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hirsh, please contact us.

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