Explore the Family Name Helling

The meaning of Helling

1. English: variant of Hellen and Ellen. 2. English: habitational name from Healing in Lincolnshire, though its survival as a modern name is doubtful. The placename derives from the Old English personal name Hægel + the Old English groupname suffix -ingas. 3. German and Dutch: nickname from Middle Low German hellin, Middle Dutch hellinc, hallinc ‘halfpenny’. Compare Helbling. 4. German and Dutch: habitational name from any of various places called Helling or Hellingen (compare Heling) or, in the north, a topographic name from Middle Low German and Middle Dutch hellink, hellinge ‘shipyard’. Some characteristic forenames: German Kurt, Manfred, Wilhelm, Bernd, Bernhard, Detlef, Eberhard, Franz, Friedhelm, Guenther, Hans.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Helling has seen a downward trend between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it ranked 18,526 in popularity, but by 2010, it fell to 25,381 — a decrease of 37 percent. The count of individuals with this surname also declined from 1,374 to 975, representing a drop of just over 29 percent. Similarly, the proportion of people with the surname per 100k dropped by 35.29 percent during this period.

20002010Change
Rank#18,526#25,381-37%
Count1,374975-29.04%
Proportion per 100k0.510.33-35.29%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Helling

When looking at the ethnic identity associated with the surname Helling, again according to the Decennial U.S. Census data, there were some notable changes between 2000 and 2010. While a large majority of individuals with this surname reported a White ethnic identity (97.02 percent in 2000 and 95.79 percent in 2010), there was a slight decrease of 1.27 percent over the decade. Conversely, those identifying as Hispanic saw a significant increase, rising from 0.73 percent in 2000 to 1.64 percent in 2010 — a jump of 124.66 percent. Likewise, individuals identified as either Asian/Pacific Islander or of two or more races also increased, by 12.33 percent and 18.95 percent respectively. There were no individuals with the surname Helling who identified as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.

20002010Change
White97.02%95.79%-1.27%
Hispanic0.73%1.64%124.66%
Two or More Races0.95%1.13%18.95%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.73%0.82%12.33%
Black0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%