2000
#3,773
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,627
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.20
Uncommon Last name
Heim
A German topographic surname referring to someone who lived near or in a home or shelter.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,448 Americans carry the last name Heim. That puts it at #3,489 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,940 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Heim 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
11K
1 in 29,940
Census rank
#3,489
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10.0K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,983 bearers of the surname Heim in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3489th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Heim, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Heim
The surname HEIM is of German origin, derived from the Old High German word "heim," meaning "home" or "homestead." It initially emerged as a descriptive surname, given to individuals who lived near a prominent village or homestead.
The earliest recorded instances of the HEIM surname can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Westphalia. It was often associated with specific place names, such as Heimbach, Heimhofen, or Heimerdingen, indicating the bearer's connection to a particular location.
During the Middle Ages, the HEIM surname appeared in various ecclesiastical and legal documents, such as parish records and court proceedings. Notable individuals bearing this surname from that period include Johannes Heim, a renowned scholar and theologian from the 15th century, and Konrad Heim, a prominent merchant and landowner in Nuremberg in the 16th century.
As the surname spread across German-speaking territories, it underwent various spelling variations, including Heym, Haim, and Haimb. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the scribes' interpretations of the name.
In the 17th century, the HEIM surname gained prominence in the field of philosophy and science. Johann Ludwig Heim (1640-1718), a German philosopher and mathematician, made significant contributions to the development of calculus and the study of probability theory.
The 18th and 19th centuries saw the continued spread of the HEIM surname across Europe and beyond, as German immigrants sought new opportunities in other parts of the world. One notable figure from this period was Arnold Heym (1786-1856), a German-American artist and engraver who contributed to the development of lithography in the United States.
Other historical figures bearing the HEIM surname include Karl Heim (1874-1958), a Swiss theologian and philosopher known for his work on the relationship between Christianity and modern thought, and Ernst Heim (1888-1967), a Swiss geologist and mountaineer who made significant contributions to the study of alpine geology and glaciology.
Throughout its history, the HEIM surname has been associated with various professions, from scholars and artisans to merchants and landowners, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Heim
Among Census respondents with the surname Heim, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Heim 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 Heim surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 9,081
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 328
- Two or more races3.0% · 301
- Black or African American1.6% · 161
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 82
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Heim
Heim 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
#2,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,414
+5,787 bearers (+67.1%)
Per 100,000 4.89
Rank movement Up 1,260 places
2020
#3,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,983
-4,431 bearers (-30.7%)
Per 100,000 3.34
Rank movement Down 976 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,773 | 8,627 | 3.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,513 | 14,414 | 4.89 | +5,787 bearers (+67.1%) | Up 1,260 places |
| 2020 | #3,489 | 9,983 | 3.34 | -4,431 bearers (-30.7%) | Down 976 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 Heim 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 | #2,513 | #3,489 | -38.8% |
| Count | 14,414 | 9,983 | -30.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.89 | 3.34 | -31.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Heim bearers went from 14,414 to 9,983 (-30.7% change). The surname moved down 976 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,513 to #3,489.
FAQ
Heim surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Heim?
Name Census estimates that about 11,448 living Americans carry the surname Heim. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,940 residents.
How common is Heim?
Heim ranks #3,489 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.34 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 9,983 people with the surname Heim. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,448), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.34 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 Heim.
Has Heim become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Heim went from 14,414 recorded bearers to 9,983. That is a decrease of 4,431 (-30.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,513 to #3,489.
What does the Census say about the background of Heim?
Among Census respondents with the surname Heim, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Heim in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (9,081 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Heim appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Heim (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 Heim mean?
A German topographic surname referring to someone who lived near or in a home or shelter. 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 Heim (3.34 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 Heim?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Heim at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.