Explore the Family Name Helle
The meaning of Helle
1. German: topographic name from Middle High German helle ‘hell’, used (often in field names) in a topographic sense to denote a hollow or a wild, precipitous place. 2. Norwegian: habitational name from any of numerous farmsteads so named, from Old Norse hella ‘flat stone, flagstone, flat mountain’ or hellir ‘cave’. 3. Finnish: ornamental name from helle ‘hot weather’, adopted during the name-changing campaigns of the early 20th century mostly to replace Swedish surnames beginning with Hell- or Häll-, such as Hellgren and Hellström (see Hellstrom). Some characteristic forenames: Scandinavian Erik.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Helle in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Helle has increased significantly over a decade. In 2000, Helle ranked 17,823 in terms of surname prevalence and it leaped by 12.59% to 15,579 in 2010. Similarly, the count of people with this surname rose from 1,448 in 2000 to 1,877 in 2010, marking a growth rate of about 29.63%. The proportion of individuals named Helle per 100k also demonstrated an increase from 0.54 in 2000 to 0.64 in 2010, a rise of around 18.52%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #17,823 | #15,579 | 12.59% |
| Count | 1,448 | 1,877 | 29.63% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.54 | 0.64 | 18.52% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Helle
Moving on to the ethnic identity associated with the surname Helle, there have been some changes from 2000 to 2010 as per the Decennial U.S. Census. Most people with this surname identified as White, although the percentage dropped slightly from 95.17% in 2000 to 93.18% in 2010. The percentage of people identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic rose from 1.10% to 1.60% and 1.04% to 1.97%, respectively. Those identifying as having two or more ethnicities doubled from 1.17% to 2.34%. Meanwhile, the percentages of individuals identifying as Black and American Indian and Alaskan Native decreased from 1.10% to 0.59% and 0.41% to 0.32% respectively.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.17% | 93.18% | -2.09% |
| Two or More Races | 1.17% | 2.34% | 100% |
| Hispanic | 1.04% | 1.97% | 89.42% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 1.1% | 1.6% | 45.45% |
| Black | 1.1% | 0.59% | -46.36% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.41% | 0.32% | -21.95% |