The Hefner surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,100 people carried this name — #4,391 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 36,400 people counted. About the same as in 2000 (8,073).

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In Argentina’s national register

At least 52 people named Hefner live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 41
La Pampa 11

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Poland’s population register

34 people named Hefner have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 47 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 4 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Lublin.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Lublin 13
Silesian 13
Kuyavian-Pomeranian 4
Masovian 4

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In print

Hefner in American newspapers,
1881–1929.

Newspaper page from The Wolf Point Herald carrying the name Hefner
The Wolf Point Herald 1929-07-12
Newspaper page from The Morehouse Clarion carrying the name Hefner
The Morehouse Clarion 1881-10-07

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 16,195 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Hefner in Australian newspapers,
1860s–1980s.

329 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Hefner. The most, 60, date from the 1940s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.8 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 187
Queensland 64
ACT (Canberra) 28
Victoria 26
South Australia 10
Western Australia 7
Tasmania 3

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Hefner.

Who carried it

People named Hefner,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Keith Hefner
    Keith Hefner 1929–2016 · actor
  • Bill Hefner
    Bill Hefner 1930–2009 · entertainer
  • Joseph von Hefner 1799–1862 · historian
  • J. Marston Hefner 1870–1963
  • Robert A. Hefner 1874–1971 · lawyer
  • Hugh Hefner 1926–2017 · writer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 9 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Hefner,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States644 records

644 records of the Hefner name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 280
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 138
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 92
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 67
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 34
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 28
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  • Sacramento County historic burials 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record David D. Hefner

    Born 1919 in Oregon. Enlisted 1942 at Portland; stenographer from Multnomah County. U.S. Air Force veteran of World War II; died 1957, buried at Willamette National Cemetery, Oregon.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Barbara Hefner

    Arrived at Philadelphia in 1850 aboard the Noemie from Havre, aged 35; farmer. From Bavaria, Germany; bound for Ohio.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Francis Joe Hefner

    Born 1947; from Vallejo, California. U.S. Army, infantryman; died of wounds 1968 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 644 records for Hefner in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Germany81 records

81 records of the Hefner name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 80
  • German applications to settle and marry 1
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Anton Hefner

    Born 1898; from Dittigheim, Tauberbischofsheim. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 2 December 1918 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 78).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Andreas Hefner

    Named in an application to settle and marry at Nokersdorf in 1830; shepherd.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Staatsarchiv Amberg (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Arthur Hefner

    From Mannheim. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 20 May 1915 (Grenadier Regiment No. 110).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 81 records for Hefner in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Netherlands19 records

19 records of the Hefner name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 12
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 4
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 3
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Peter Hefner

    Married in 1935 in Amsterdam; merchant.

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Maria Hefner

    Died 1876 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 80.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Johannes Hefner

    Buried in 1779 in Delft.

    Open Archives, Archief Delft (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 19 records for Hefner in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Australia6 records

6 records of the Hefner name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 4
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 2
  1. A page of the Livre d’or of the French war dead, Paris
    Example: roll of the war dead
    War record James Hefner

    NSW railway employee; served in the First World War with the 35th Battalion (3rd Reinforcements).

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record John Hefner

    Sailed from Victoria in 1858 aboard the Glimpse, bound for San Franciso.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm Hefner

    Sailed from Victoria in 1858 aboard the Glimpse, bound for San Franciso.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 6 records for Hefner in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Livre d’or of the war dead, Paris, Ministère des pensions, Archives nationales (CC0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

France5 records

5 records of the Hefner name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Simone Hefner

    Born 1911 in Épinal (Vosges); died 1990 in Nancy (Meurthe-et-Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Maurice Jacques Hefner

    Born 1932 in Paris; died 1995 in Poissy (Yvelines).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Madeleine Renee Suzanne Hefner

    Born 1897 in Épinal (Vosges); died 1983 in Lons-le-Saunier (Jura).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 5 records for Hefner in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Hefner.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Hefner is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Hefner volume
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