Explore the Family Name Hellem

The meaning of Hellem

Norwegian: habitational name from any of several farmsteads so named from Old Norse hella ‘flat stone’, ‘flagstone, flat mountain’ or hellir ‘cave’ + the element -em, which may come from Old Norse heimr ‘farmstead’. Some characteristic forenames: Scandinavian Magnar.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Hellem saw a significant increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. The rank of the surname improved from 68,973 in 2000 to 64,891 in 2010, indicating an upward trend by approximately 5.92 percent. Similarly, the total count of individuals with the Hellem surname increased from 266 to 306 within the same period, showing a rise of 15.04 percent. Despite this growth, the proportion per 100k people remained stable at 0.1.

20002010Change
Rank#68,973#64,8915.92%
Count26630615.04%
Proportion per 100k0.10.10%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Hellem

Regarding the ethnic identity associated with the Hellem surname, the Decennial U.S. Census reveals some interesting changes over the decade. In both 2000 and 2010, there were no recorded instances of the surname among those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or of two or more races. The majority of individuals with the Hellem surname identified as White, although this figure dropped from 92.86 percent in 2000 to 87.91 percent in 2010. However, there was a noticeable increase in the percentages of those identifying as Hispanic and Black. The former grew by 90.96 percent, while the latter rose by 45.01 percent. Those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native were consistently absent in both years.

20002010Change
White92.86%87.91%-5.33%
Black4.51%6.54%45.01%
Hispanic1.88%3.59%90.96%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
Two or More Races0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%