Explore the Family Name De Heer

The meaning of De Heer

Dutch: from heer ‘(feudal) lord, master’, with the definite article de ‘the’, probably applied as a nickname to someone who behaved in a lordly manner, or as a metonymic occupational name for someone in the service of a feudal lord or the like. Compare Heer.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name De Heer in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname De Heer has seen a significant increase between the years 2000 and 2010. In the year 2000, De Heer was ranked as the 66,878th most popular surname, but it leapt to the 62,714th position by 2010, marking an impressive shift of 6.23 percent. The count of individuals bearing this surname also increased from 276 in 2000 to 319 in 2010, thus showing an upswing of 15.58 percent. Consequently, the proportion of people with the surname per 100,000 of the population rose by 10.0 percent.

20002010Change
Rank#66,878#62,7146.23%
Count27631915.58%
Proportion per 100k0.10.1110%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name De Heer

When considering ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data provides interesting insights into the distribution of the De Heer surname. While the majority of those with the De Heer surname identified as White in both 2000 and 2010, there was a 5.75 percent decline over the decade, dropping from 93.12 percent to 87.77 percent. Meanwhile, the percentage of those identifying as Black saw a dramatic increase of 56.72 percent, rising from 5.80 percent in 2000 to 9.09 percent in 2010. The 2010 census also registered a small fraction (1.57 percent) of individuals with the surname identifying as belonging to two or more races. However, no individuals with this surname identified as Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander, or American Indian and Alaskan Native during these years.

20002010Change
White93.12%87.77%-5.75%
Black5.8%9.09%56.72%
Two or More Races0%1.57%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Hispanic0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%