2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Benninghoven
A locational surname indicating a person lived in or came from a place called Benninghoven.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Benninghoven. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Benninghoven 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Benninghoven in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Benninghoven, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Benninghoven
The surname Benninghoven originated in Germany, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the village of Benninghoven, located in the North Rhine-Westphalia region of western Germany. The name likely stems from the Old Germanic personal name "Benno" or "Beno," combined with the German word "hoven," meaning a small village or farm.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Benninghoven name can be found in the "Codex Traditionum Westfalicarum," a collection of medieval charters and records from the Westphalia region, dating back to the 9th century. This document mentions a landowner named "Bennunc de Benninchoven" in an entry from the year 868.
During the Middle Ages, the Benninghoven family held land and property in the area around the village of Benninghoven. Some members of the family may have served as knights or minor nobility, as was common for landholders at the time. However, few specific historical records remain detailing the lives of individual Benninghovens from this era.
In the 16th century, a scholar and poet named Heinrich Benninghoven (1519-1589) gained recognition for his Latin poetry and writings on classical literature. He was a professor at the University of Cologne and is considered one of the earliest notable individuals to bear the Benninghoven name.
Another historical figure with this surname was Theodor Benninghoven (1678-1742), a German Catholic priest and theologian who served as the Auxiliary Bishop of Cologne in the early 18th century.
During the 19th century, a businessman named Friedrich Benninghoven (1821-1892) established a successful textile manufacturing company in the city of Krefeld, which became known for its high-quality fabrics and innovative production methods.
In more recent times, the artist and sculptor Gisela Benninghoven (1918-2002) gained recognition for her abstract sculptures and public art installations, which can be found in various cities across Germany and Europe.
While the Benninghoven name has its origins in a specific region of Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. However, the earliest documented instances and historical references to the name can be traced back to the medieval period in the Westphalia region of western Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Benninghoven
Among Census respondents with the surname Benninghoven, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Benninghoven 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 Benninghoven surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.1% · 87
- Hispanic or Latino10.4% · 11
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Benninghoven
Benninghoven appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
+3 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,895 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 4,895 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 Benninghoven 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 | #157,234 | #152,339 | 3.1% |
| Count | 103 | 106 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 18.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Benninghoven bearers went from 103 to 106 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 4,895 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #152,339.
FAQ
Benninghoven surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Benninghoven?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Benninghoven. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Benninghoven?
Benninghoven ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Benninghoven. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Benninghoven.
Has Benninghoven become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Benninghoven went from 103 recorded bearers to 106. That is an increase of 3 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Benninghoven?
Among Census respondents with the surname Benninghoven, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.4%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Benninghoven in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.1% (87 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Benninghoven appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.1%), Hispanic (10.4%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Benninghoven (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 Benninghoven mean?
A locational surname indicating a person lived in or came from a place called Benninghoven. 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 Benninghoven (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 are called Benninghoven?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Benninghoven on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.