2000
#30,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 736
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Very Rare Last name
Hemme
A locational surname derived from a place name and meaning "dweller on the ridge of land".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 865 Americans carry the last name Hemme. That puts it at #32,654 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 396,248 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hemme 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
865
1 in 396,248
Census rank
#32,654
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
754
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 754 bearers of the surname Hemme in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32654th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hemme, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hemme
The surname Hemme originated in northern Germany, particularly in the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia. It dates back to the medieval period and is derived from the Old German word "hamma," meaning "pasture" or "meadow." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived in or worked on pastures or meadows.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Hemme can be found in the Werdener Urkundenbuch, a collection of medieval documents from the Werden Abbey in Essen, Germany. The name appears as early as the 13th century, with references to individuals such as Hermannus Hemme and Johannes Hemme.
In the 14th century, the name Hemme was mentioned in the Stadtbuch von Osnabrück, a historical record of the city of Osnabrück, where it was spelled as "Hemmen." This variation in spelling was common during that time period.
One notable individual bearing the surname Hemme was Johann Hemme, a German philosopher and theologian who lived from 1556 to 1618. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran Reformation and served as a professor at the University of Marburg.
Another significant figure was Christian Hemme, a German composer and organist born in 1658 in Mühlhausen, Thuringia. He is known for his contributions to the development of the Organ Concerto genre during the Baroque period.
In the 19th century, the surname Hemme was associated with several notable individuals, including Friedrich Hemme (1805-1880), a German politician and member of the Prussian House of Representatives, and Gustav Hemme (1833-1899), a German artist and illustrator known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
The name Hemme has also been connected to various place names, particularly in northern Germany. For example, the town of Hemme in Lower Saxony and the village of Hemmern in North Rhine-Westphalia may have derived their names from individuals bearing the surname Hemme who lived in or owned land in those areas.
While the surname Hemme is not as common as some other German surnames, it has a rich history dating back to the medieval period and has been associated with individuals from various professions and backgrounds throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hemme
Among Census respondents with the surname Hemme, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hemme 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 Hemme surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 697
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 27
- Two or more races2.5% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 8
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hemme
Hemme 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
#31,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 728
-8 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 1,663 places
2020
#32,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 754
+26 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 930 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,061 | 736 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #31,724 | 728 | 0.25 | -8 bearers (-1.1%) | Down 1,663 places |
| 2020 | #32,654 | 754 | 0.25 | +26 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 930 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 Hemme 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 | #31,724 | #32,654 | -2.9% |
| Count | 728 | 754 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.25 | 0.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hemme bearers went from 728 to 754 (+3.6% change). The surname moved down 930 positions in the national ranking, going from #31,724 to #32,654.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Hemme
FAQ
Hemme surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hemme?
Name Census estimates that about 865 living Americans carry the surname Hemme. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 396,248 residents.
How common is Hemme?
Hemme ranks #32,654 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 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 754 people with the surname Hemme. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (865), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 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 Hemme.
Has Hemme become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hemme went from 728 recorded bearers to 754. That is an increase of 26 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #31,724 to #32,654.
What does the Census say about the background of Hemme?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hemme, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hemme in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (697 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hemme appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Hemme (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 Hemme mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name and meaning "dweller on the ridge of land". 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 Hemme (0.25 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 Hemme?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.