NameCensus.

UK surname

Hecht

A German and Jewish surname meaning "pike," referring to the freshwater fish.

In the 1881 census there were 32 people recorded with the Hecht surname, ranking it #29,082 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 110, ranked #29,225, down from #29,082 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Lower Whitecraigs and South Giffnock, Whitecraigs and Broom and North Giffnock and North Thornliebank.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Hecht is 117 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 243.8%.

1881 census count

32

Ranked #29,082

Modern count

110

2016, ranked #29,225

Peak year

2010

117 bearers

Map years

2

2006 to 2016

Key insights

  • Hecht had 32 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #29,082 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 110 in 2016, ranked #29,225.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 74 in 1901.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Diverse Educated Urban Singles.

Hecht surname distribution map

The map shows where the Hecht surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Hecht surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Hecht over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 2 #33,133
1861 historical 13 #32,208
1881 historical 32 #29,082
1891 historical 45 #30,747
1901 historical 74 #25,958
1911 historical 72 #25,642
1997 modern 82 #29,325
1998 modern 79 #30,080
1999 modern 84 #29,700
2000 modern 87 #29,377
2001 modern 86 #29,281
2002 modern 89 #29,428
2003 modern 104 #27,101
2004 modern 98 #28,297
2005 modern 104 #27,369
2006 modern 103 #27,785
2007 modern 103 #28,187
2008 modern 105 #28,180
2009 modern 110 #27,991
2010 modern 117 #27,557
2011 modern 109 #28,653
2012 modern 100 #30,258
2013 modern 105 #29,916
2014 modern 111 #29,113
2015 modern 106 #29,895
2016 modern 110 #29,225

Geography

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Where Hechts are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Lower Whitecraigs and South Giffnock, Whitecraigs and Broom, North Giffnock and North Thornliebank, Suffolk Coastal and Barnet. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Lower Whitecraigs and South Giffnock East Renfrewshire
2 Whitecraigs and Broom East Renfrewshire
3 North Giffnock and North Thornliebank East Renfrewshire
4 Suffolk Coastal 013 Suffolk Coastal
5 Barnet 033 Barnet

Forenames

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First names often paired with Hecht

These lists show first names that appear often with the Hecht surname in historical and recent records.

Historical female names

No Forenames Found

Historical male names

No Forenames Found

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Hecht

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Hecht, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Multicultural and Educated Urbanites

Group

Diverse Educated Urban Singles

Nationally, the Hecht surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Diverse Educated Urban Singles, within Multicultural and Educated Urbanites. This does not mean every Hecht household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group includes many never-married individuals not living with dependent children. Many were born in EU countries and are now aged between 25-44. This Group is characterised by its ethnic group diversity, although those identifying as Asian are not well represented. Affiliation with the Christian religion amongst residents is low. Reported disability rates are low. Neighbourhoods include some central locations in London and other major cities. Private renting is the norm, and there is some overcrowding. Many individuals are educated to degree level, and full-time employment is common, particularly in managerial and professional occupations.

Wider pattern

Established populations comprising ethnic minorities together with persons born outside the UK predominate in this Supergroup. Residents present diverse personal characteristics and circumstances: while generally well-educated and practising skilled occupations, some residents live in overcrowded rental sector housing. English may not be the main language used by people in this Group. Although the typical adult resident is middle aged, single person households are common and marriage rates are low by national standards. This Supergroup predominates in Inner London, with smaller enclaves in many other densely populated metropolitan areas.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Hecht is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Hecht is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Hecht falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Hecht is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Other

This describes the area pattern most associated with Hecht, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Hecht

The surname HECHT is of German origin, emerging in the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German word "heht," meaning "pike" or "luce," a type of freshwater fish. This occupational surname was likely given to individuals involved in fishing or selling fish, particularly pike.

The earliest recorded instances of the HECHT surname can be found in various German regional records and town chronicles from the 14th and 15th centuries. For example, the name appears in the Nuremberg tax rolls of 1387 and the Cologne city records of 1481.

One of the earliest known bearers of the HECHT name was Hans Hecht, a merchant and burgher of the city of Nuremberg, who lived in the late 15th century. Another notable figure was Johann Hecht, a Protestant reformer and theologian from Saxony, born in 1520 and died in 1590.

The HECHT surname is also associated with several place names in Germany, such as Hechtheim, a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, and Hechtsheim, a district of Mainz. These places likely derived their names from the German word "hecht," indicating the presence of pike fish in nearby water bodies.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the HECHT surname spread across various regions of Germany and beyond, as individuals migrated and settled in new areas. Notable bearers of the name during this period include Johann Hecht, a German painter and engraver active in the late 16th century, and Johann Michael Hecht, a German composer and music theorist born in 1665.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, several individuals with the HECHT surname made significant contributions in various fields. For instance, Christian Gottlieb Hecht, born in 1771, was a German jurist and legal scholar. Johann Baptist Hecht, born in 1758, was a German Catholic theologian and philosopher.

Other notable figures with the HECHT surname include the German composer and pianist Max Hecht, born in 1851, and the German-American architect and urban planner Walter Hecht, born in 1897 and responsible for designing several notable buildings in New York City.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Hecht families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Hecht surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 25 Hechts recorded in 1881 and an index of 8.01x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 25 8.01x
Lancashire 6 1.62x
Oxfordshire 1 5.19x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Paddington London in Middlesex leads with 10 Hechts recorded in 1881 and an index of 87.18x.

Place Total Index
Paddington London 10 87.18x
Hampstead London 6 123.46x
Withington 5 420.17x
Clerkenwell London 2 27.17x
Isleworth 2 143.88x
St Pancras London 2 7.97x
Harrow 1 208.33x
Heythrop 1 3333.33x
Islington London 1 3.31x
St Marylebone London 1 6.00x
Toxteth Park 1 7.97x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Hecht surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Adelaide 1
Adelheid 1
Alice 1
Bettina 1
Dora 1
Fraulein 1
Hannah 1
Julia 1
Julie 1
Kate 1
Marie 1
Rebecca 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Hecht surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

FAQ

Hecht surname: questions and answers

How common was the Hecht surname in 1881?

In 1881, 32 people were recorded with the Hecht surname. That placed it at #29,082 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Hecht surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 110 in 2016. That gives Hecht a modern rank of #29,225.

What does the Hecht surname mean?

A German and Jewish surname meaning "pike," referring to the freshwater fish.

What does the Hecht map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Hecht bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.