2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Awender
A German surname derived from a word meaning 'to turn' or 'to rotate'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Awender. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Awender 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Awender in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Awender, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Awender
The surname AWENDER is believed to have originated in Germany during the late medieval period, likely in the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to have derived from the German word "awender," which means "to turn" or "to veer," suggesting a possible occupational or locational origin for the name.
One of the earliest recorded references to the AWENDER surname can be found in the records of the city of Augsburg, Germany, where a certain Hans Awender is mentioned as a resident in the year 1487. This suggests that the name was already in use in that region during the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the AWENDER name appears in several historical documents from the German states of Bavaria and Saxony. For instance, a man named Jürgen Awender is listed as a landowner in the village of Altdorf, near Nuremberg, in the year 1532.
The AWENDER surname may have also been associated with certain place names or geographical features in Germany, such as the town of Awende in Saxony-Anhalt, which could have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the name over time.
One notable figure with the AWENDER surname was Wilhelm Awender, a German composer and organist who lived from 1573 to 1647. He was known for his contributions to the development of baroque church music in Germany during the early 17th century.
Another individual of historical importance was Anna Awender, a German midwife and herbalist who lived in the city of Regensburg in the late 16th century. She was renowned for her knowledge of traditional remedies and played a significant role in the practice of midwifery in her region.
In the 18th century, the AWENDER name appears in various records from the German states of Hesse and Saxony-Anhalt. One notable figure from this period was Johann Awender, a renowned clockmaker who lived in the town of Erfurt from 1712 to 1785. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by wealthy patrons throughout central Europe.
During the 19th century, several AWENDER families immigrated to the United States and other parts of the world, carrying their surname with them and contributing to its spread beyond Germany.
Overall, the surname AWENDER has a rich history rooted in the German-speaking regions of Europe, with records dating back to the late medieval and early modern periods. While its precise origins remain uncertain, the name has been associated with various occupations, locations, and notable individuals throughout its long and diverse legacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Awender
Among Census respondents with the surname Awender, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Awender 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 Awender surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 103
- Two or more races9.2% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Awender
Awender 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,179 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 7,179 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Up 59 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 Awender 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 | #142,108 | #142,049 | 0.0% |
| Count | 117 | 120 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Awender bearers went from 117 to 120 (+2.6% change). The surname moved up 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #142,049.
FAQ
Awender surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Awender?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Awender. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Awender?
Awender ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Awender. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Awender.
Has Awender become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Awender went from 117 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 3 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #142,108 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Awender?
Among Census respondents with the surname Awender, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Awender in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Awender appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Two or More Races (9.2%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Awender (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 Awender mean?
A German surname derived from a word meaning 'to turn' or 'to rotate'. 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 Awender (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 share the surname Awender?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.