Explore the Family Name Helfer
The meaning of Helfer
1. South German: metonymic occupational name for an assistant of some kind, or a nickname for a helpful person, from Middle High German hëlfære ‘helper, assistant’. 2. Jewish (Ashkenazic): cognate of 1 above, but from German Helfer or Yiddish helfer ‘helper, assistant’.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Helfer in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname "Helfer" saw a slight increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 18,634 in terms of popularity and increased its rank to 18,184 by 2010, a positive change of 2.41%. The count of individuals carrying the Helfer surname also grew by 12.25%, from 1,363 in 2000 to 1,530 in 2010. This growth is reflected in the proportion per 100k people, which ticked up from 0.51 to 0.52 over the same time period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #18,634 | #18,184 | 2.41% |
| Count | 1,363 | 1,530 | 12.25% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.51 | 0.52 | 1.96% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Helfer
In terms of ethnicity, according to the Decennial U.S. Census, the majority of individuals with the Helfer surname identified as White in both 2000 and 2010. However, this percentage decreased slightly from 94.20% to 93.14% over the decade. Meanwhile, the representation of Hispanic Helfers saw an increase of 18.40%, reaching 3.99% in 2010. Notably, the Black population with this surname more than doubled, albeit from a small base, growing by 105.88% to reach 1.05% in 2010. The Asian/Pacific Islander and those of two or more races represented smaller percentages and both experienced slight decreases. American Indian and Alaskan Native representation remained relatively stable, seeing a minor increase of 4.55%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 94.2% | 93.14% | -1.13% |
| Hispanic | 3.37% | 3.99% | 18.4% |
| Two or More Races | 1.1% | 1.05% | -4.55% |
| Black | 0.51% | 1.05% | 105.88% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.44% | 0.46% | 4.55% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.37% | 0.33% | -10.81% |