Explore the Family Name Hefley

The meaning of Hefley

Probably an Americanized form of Swiss German Haefely or Häfeli (see Haefeli), or South German Häffele or Hefele (see Haefele), all metonymic occupational names for a potter.

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

How common is the last name Hefley in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Hefley has seen a decrease in popularity over a decade. In 2000, it was ranked 14,514th most common surname and by 2010, it had dropped to 16,171st, a decline of approximately 11.42 percent. The count of individuals with this surname also decreased from 1,883 in 2000 to 1,787 in 2010, marking a decrease of 5.1 percent. Consequently, the proportion of Hefleys per 100,000 people fell by about 12.86 percent between the two census years.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#14,514	#16,171	-11.42%
Count	1,883	1,787	-5.1%
Proportion per 100k	0.7	0.61	-12.86%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Hefley

The ethnicity data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals some shifts in the ethnic identity associated with the Hefley surname. While the majority remains White (93.47 percent in 2000 down slightly to 92.39 percent in 2010), there have been notable changes among other ethnicities. Both Asian/Pacific Islander and Black representation doubled or nearly doubled, with an increase of 59.52 percent and 100 percent respectively. Individuals identifying as Hispanic increased by 20.64 percent whereas those identifying as Two or more races saw an increment of 27.27 percent. On the contrary, representation of American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased by 30.65 percent.

	2000	2010	Change
White	93.47%	92.39%	-1.16%
Hispanic	2.18%	2.63%	20.64%
Two or More Races	1.54%	1.96%	27.27%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	1.86%	1.29%	-30.65%
Black	0.53%	1.06%	100%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.42%	0.67%	59.52%