Explore the Family Name Highlander
The meaning of Highlander
Americanized form of German Heilander, probably a topographic name composed of Middle High German höu ‘hay’ + land ‘land’ + the agent suffix -er.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Highlander in the United States?
The surname Highlander, based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census, has seen some fluctuation in its popularity over the years. In 2000, it held the rank of 38,079 and had a count of 547 individuals carrying the name. By 2010, the rank had slightly decreased to 39,607, marking a change of -4.01% in its ranking position. However, the count of individuals with the Highlander surname actually increased to 555 people, showing a growth rate of 1.46%. The proportion per 100k also saw a minor decrease from 0.2 to 0.19, a change of -5%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #38,079 | #39,607 | -4.01% |
| Count | 547 | 555 | 1.46% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.2 | 0.19 | -5% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Highlander
In terms of ethnicity based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the Highlander surname is predominantly associated with the White ethnic group which accounted for 97.07% in 2000 and slightly declined to 96.94% by 2010. The proportion of individuals identifying as two or more races decreased from 1.10% to 0.90%. Interestingly, there was an emergence of Hispanic representation in 2010 at 1.62%, which was not present in the 2000 census. The Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, American Indian and Alaskan Native groups showed no representation in both 2000 and 2010 for this surname.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 97.07% | 96.94% | -0.13% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 1.62% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 1.1% | 0.9% | -18.18% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |