2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Amlung
A German surname derived from the Middle German word meaning "pasture" or "grazing land."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Amlung. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Amlung 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Amlung in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Amlung, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Amlung
The surname Amlung has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the early 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "am" meaning "by the" and "lung," which referred to a clearing or meadow in a forested area. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with someone who lived near or in a forest clearing.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Amlung surname can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Müncheberg, Brandenburg, where a certain Hans Amlung is mentioned in an entry dated 1542. In the late 16th century, the name also appears in records from the town of Stralsund, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, further indicating its German origins.
The Amlung surname is not commonly found in any major historical manuscripts or records, such as the Domesday Book. However, there are a few notable individuals who bore this surname throughout history. One such person was Johann Amlung, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1643 to 1712. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran Church and served as a professor at the University of Rostock.
Another individual of note was Friedrich Amlung, a German botanist and naturalist born in 1766. He is best known for his contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and his extensive collections of plant specimens from various regions of Germany.
In the 19th century, a certain Carl Amlung made a name for himself as a successful businessman and industrialist in the city of Berlin. He was the founder of the Amlung & Co. company, which specialized in the production of machinery and industrial equipment.
Moving into the 20th century, a notable figure with the Amlung surname was Ernst Amlung, a German architect who lived from 1892 to 1972. He was responsible for the design of several prominent buildings in Berlin and other German cities during the Weimar Republic and post-World War II periods.
Lastly, one should mention the German-American artist and sculptor, Gerhard Amlung, who was born in 1925 and is known for his abstract and minimalist works. He spent a significant portion of his career in the United States and had several exhibitions at prestigious galleries and museums.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Amlung
Among Census respondents with the surname Amlung, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Amlung 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 Amlung surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Amlung
Amlung 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,463 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-12 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,535 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 5,463 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 9,535 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 Amlung 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 | #145,220 | #154,755 | -6.6% |
| Count | 114 | 102 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Amlung bearers went from 114 to 102 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 9,535 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #154,755.
FAQ
Amlung surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Amlung?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Amlung. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Amlung?
Amlung ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Amlung. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Amlung.
Has Amlung become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Amlung went from 114 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Amlung?
Among Census respondents with the surname Amlung, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Amlung in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Amlung appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (2.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Amlung (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 Amlung mean?
A German surname derived from the Middle German word meaning "pasture" or "grazing land." 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 Amlung (0.03 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 Amlung?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.