Explore the Family Name Heritage
The meaning of Heritage
English: status name for someone who inherited land from an ancestor, rather than by feudal gift from an overlord, from Middle English heritage, Old French eritage ‘property, especially land, which devolves by right of inheritance’ (from Late Latin heritagium, from heres ‘heir’).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Heritage in the United States?
Based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname "Heritage" has seen slight shifts in popularity over a 10-year span. In the year 2000, it was ranked as the 22,505th most popular surname, and by 2010 it had slipped to 22,791st place – a decrease of 1.27%. However, the census also showed that the actual count of people with this last name increased over the same period. In 2000, there were 1,067 individuals named Heritage, and by 2010, that number grew by 5.34% to reach 1,124. The proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 population dropped by 5.0%, from 0.4 in 2000 to 0.38 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #22,505 | #22,791 | -1.27% |
| Count | 1,067 | 1,124 | 5.34% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.4 | 0.38 | -5% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Heritage
The Decennial U.S. Census data also provides information about the ethnic identity associated with the surname Heritage. The data shows that the majority of people with this surname identify as White, making up 93.81% in 2000 and dropping slightly to 92.17% in 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Hispanic increased from 4.03% in 2000 to 4.63% in 2010. People identifying as two or more races also saw an increase, going from 1.41% in 2000 to 2.31% in 2010 — a significant change of 63.83%. There were no records of individuals with this surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native in either year.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 93.81% | 92.17% | -1.75% |
| Hispanic | 4.03% | 4.63% | 14.89% |
| Two or More Races | 1.41% | 2.31% | 63.83% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.56% | 0% | 0% |