2000
#27,496
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 825
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.31
Rare Last name
Hem
A surname derived from a variation of the word "home", referring to a person living near a particular landmark or boundary.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,260 Americans carry the last name Hem. That puts it at #23,795 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 272,027 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hem 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
1.3K
1 in 272,027
Census rank
#23,795
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,099 bearers of the surname Hem in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23795th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hem, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.3%. The next largest groups are White (14.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hem
The surname Hem is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, specifically in the region of Utrecht. It first appeared in records dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old Dutch word "hem," which means "home" or "homestead." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived in a notable or distinctive home within their community.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hem can be found in the Utrechtse Keurboeken, a collection of laws and regulations from the city of Utrecht, dated around 1250. In these records, a person named Johannes Hem is mentioned as a landowner and freeman.
Over the centuries, the name has undergone various spelling variations, such as Hemme, Heym, and Heyme, reflecting local dialect and pronunciation differences.
In the late 16th century, a prominent figure named Pieter Hem (1548-1618) was a renowned Dutch painter and engraver known for his religious and allegorical works. His paintings can be found in several museums across Europe.
Another notable individual with the surname Hem was Jan Hem (1625-1679), a Dutch Golden Age painter who specialized in still-life paintings and was particularly skilled in depicting fruits and flowers.
In the 18th century, the name Hem gained recognition through the works of Adriaen Hem (1703-1768), a Dutch landscape painter who was renowned for his depictions of Dutch towns and villages.
Moving to the 19th century, Cornelis Hem (1837-1917) was a Dutch politician and lawyer who served as the Mayor of Rotterdam from 1892 to 1914, overseeing significant urban development and expansion during his tenure.
Lastly, in the early 20th century, Willem Hem (1890-1968) was a Dutch architect known for his Art Deco and Amsterdamse School styles, contributing to the distinct architectural character of Amsterdam with buildings like the Tuinstad Watergraafsmeer housing complex.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hem
Among Census respondents with the surname Hem, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.3%. The next largest groups are White (14.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hem 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 Hem surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander79.3% · 871
- White14.0% · 154
- Two or more races3.5% · 39
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 24
- Black or African American0.6% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hem
Hem 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
#24,499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,021
+196 bearers (+23.8%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Up 2,997 places
2020
#23,795
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,099
+78 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.37
Rank movement Up 704 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #27,496 | 825 | 0.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,499 | 1,021 | 0.35 | +196 bearers (+23.8%) | Up 2,997 places |
| 2020 | #23,795 | 1,099 | 0.37 | +78 bearers (+7.6%) | Up 704 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 Hem 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 | #24,499 | #23,795 | 2.9% |
| Count | 1,021 | 1,099 | 7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.35 | 0.37 | 5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hem bearers went from 1,021 to 1,099 (+7.6% change). The surname moved up 704 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,499 to #23,795.
FAQ
Hem surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hem?
Name Census estimates that about 1,260 living Americans carry the surname Hem. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 272,027 residents.
How common is Hem?
Hem ranks #23,795 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.37 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 1,099 people with the surname Hem. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,260), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.37 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 Hem.
Has Hem become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hem went from 1,021 recorded bearers to 1,099. That is an increase of 78 (+7.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #24,499 to #23,795.
What does the Census say about the background of Hem?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hem, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.3%. The next largest groups are White (14.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hem in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.3% (871 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hem appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (79.3%), White (14.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Hem (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 Hem mean?
A surname derived from a variation of the word "home", referring to a person living near a particular landmark or boundary. 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 Hem (0.37 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 Hem?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.