2000
#12,673
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,239
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Hirsh
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Yiddish word for "deer" or "stag," likely referring to a deer hunter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,371 Americans carry the last name Hirsh. That puts it at #13,963 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,561 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hirsh 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hirsh with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.4K
1 in 144,561
Census rank
#13,963
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,068 bearers of the surname Hirsh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13963rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hirsh, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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The name HIRSH also appears in various historical documents throughout the 16th and 17th centuries in different regions of Germany.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hirsh
Among Census respondents with the surname Hirsh, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hirsh 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 Hirsh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 1,949
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 56
- Two or more races1.6% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hirsh
Hirsh 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
#13,834
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,185
-54 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 1,161 places
2020
#13,963
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,068
-117 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,673 | 2,239 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,834 | 2,185 | 0.74 | -54 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 1,161 places |
| 2020 | #13,963 | 2,068 | 0.69 | -117 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 129 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 Hirsh 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 | #13,834 | #13,963 | -0.9% |
| Count | 2,185 | 2,068 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.69 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hirsh bearers went from 2,185 to 2,068 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 129 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,834 to #13,963.
FAQ
Hirsh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hirsh?
Name Census estimates that about 2,371 living Americans carry the surname Hirsh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,561 residents.
How common is Hirsh?
Hirsh ranks #13,963 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,068 people with the surname Hirsh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,371), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hirsh.
Has Hirsh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hirsh went from 2,185 recorded bearers to 2,068. That is a decrease of 117 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,834 to #13,963.
What does the Census say about the background of Hirsh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hirsh, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Hirsh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (1,949 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hirsh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Hirsh (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 Hirsh mean?
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Yiddish word for "deer" or "stag," likely referring to a deer hunter. 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 Hirsh (0.69 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 have the surname Hirsh?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.