2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Amburg
A surname possibly derived from the German city of Hamburg or an area near Hamburg.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Amburg. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Amburg surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Amburg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Amburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Amburg
The surname Amburg is of German origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the region of Amberg, a town in the Oberpfalz area of Bavaria, which was first mentioned in records around the year 1034.
The name Amburg is thought to be derived from the Germanic words "am" meaning "at" and "burg" meaning "fortified town" or "castle." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have lived near or were associated with a fortified settlement or castle in the Amberg region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Amburg can be found in the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Reichenbacensis, a medieval cartulary from the Reichenbach Abbey in Bavaria, which dates back to the 12th century. This document mentions an individual named "Chunradus de Amburg" (Conrad of Amburg).
In the 13th century, the name appears in the Bairisches Stammenbuch, a genealogical record of Bavarian noble families. Here, it is written as "Amburger," referring to the noble family that held lands and properties in the Amberg region.
Notable historical figures with the surname Amburg include Johann Amburg (1544-1621), a German theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg, and Konrad von Amburg (1285-1349), a Bavarian nobleman and military commander who fought in the wars against the Habsburgs.
Another significant figure was Hans Amburg (1460-1519), a German Renaissance painter and woodcarver who was active in Nuremberg and is best known for his altarpieces and wood sculptures adorning churches in the region.
In the 16th century, the name Amburg also appears in records from the city of Augsburg, where a family of merchants and traders bearing this surname was prominent. One member, Jakob Amburg (1520-1591), was a successful businessman and served as a city councilor.
Throughout the centuries, variations in the spelling of the name have been observed, such as Amburger, Amburger, and Amberger, reflecting the connection to the town of Amberg and its surrounding areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Amburg
Among Census respondents with the surname Amburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Amburg bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Amburg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 4
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Amburg
Amburg appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-10 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,524 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-11 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,142 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 16,524 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 11,142 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Amburg surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #138,304 | #149,446 | -8.1% |
| Count | 121 | 110 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Amburg bearers went from 121 to 110 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 11,142 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #149,446.
FAQ
Amburg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Amburg?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Amburg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Amburg?
Amburg ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Amburg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Amburg.
Has Amburg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Amburg went from 121 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Amburg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Amburg, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%) and Black (1.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Amburg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Amburg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.6%), Black (1.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Amburg (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Amburg mean?
A surname possibly derived from the German city of Hamburg or an area near Hamburg. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Amburg (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Amburg?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.