2000
#4,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,073
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.99
Rare Last name
Hefner
A surname derived from a German place name or from an occupational name for a potter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,808 Americans carry the last name Hefner. That puts it at #4,479 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,914 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hefner 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
8.8K
1 in 38,914
Census rank
#4,479
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,681 bearers of the surname Hefner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4479th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hefner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hefner
The surname Hefner is of German origin, deriving from the occupational name "Hafner" which referred to a potter or someone who made pottery. This name dates back to the Middle Ages, specifically the 12th century, when it was first recorded in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in southern Germany.
The name Hefner is believed to have evolved from the Middle High German word "havenaere" or "hafner," which meant "pot maker" or "potter." This occupation was highly valued during that time, as pottery was an essential part of daily life for storing and transporting goods.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hefner can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany, dating back to the 13th century. In this record, a person named "Conradus Hafner" is mentioned in the year 1295.
Another notable historical reference to the name Hefner is found in the "Stadtbuch von Augsburg," a city book from Augsburg, Germany, which dates back to the 15th century. In this record, a person named "Hans Hefner" is listed as a resident of the city in the year 1463.
Some famous individuals with the surname Hefner throughout history include:
1. Johann Hefner (1525-1592), a German theologian and author from Nuremberg.
2. Michael Hefner (1644-1714), a German sculptor and woodcarver from Augsburg.
3. Georg Hefner (1769-1849), a German painter and engraver from Munich.
4. Johann Hefner (1806-1875), a German businessman and founder of the Hefner Brewery in Würzburg.
5. Christian Hefner (1860-1932), a German-American brewer and founder of the Hefner Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
The name Hefner has also been associated with various place names, particularly in Germany. For example, the town of Hefnerholz in Lower Saxony, Germany, is believed to have derived its name from the Hefner family who once lived in the area. Similarly, the village of Hefnersdorf in Thuringia, Germany, is thought to have been named after a person with the surname Hefner.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hefner
Among Census respondents with the surname Hefner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hefner 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 Hefner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 6,986
- Two or more races4.4% · 340
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 200
- Black or African American0.7% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hefner
Hefner 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
#4,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,100
+27 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 2.75
Rank movement Down 347 places
2020
#4,479
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,681
-419 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 2.57
Rank movement Down 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,044 | 8,073 | 2.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,391 | 8,100 | 2.75 | +27 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 347 places |
| 2020 | #4,479 | 7,681 | 2.57 | -419 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 88 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 Hefner 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 | #4,391 | #4,479 | -2.0% |
| Count | 8,100 | 7,681 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.75 | 2.57 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hefner bearers went from 8,100 to 7,681 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,391 to #4,479.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hefner
FAQ
Hefner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hefner?
Name Census estimates that about 8,808 living Americans carry the surname Hefner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,914 residents.
How common is Hefner?
Hefner ranks #4,479 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,681 people with the surname Hefner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,808), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Hefner.
Has Hefner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hefner went from 8,100 recorded bearers to 7,681. That is a decrease of 419 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,391 to #4,479.
What does the Census say about the background of Hefner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hefner, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Hefner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (6,986 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hefner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Hefner (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 Hefner mean?
A surname derived from a German place name or from an occupational name for a potter. 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 Hefner (2.57 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 Americans have the surname Hefner?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.