2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Caringer
A locative surname indicating someone from the town of Kering, Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Caringer. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caringer 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Caringer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caringer, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caringer
The surname Caringer is of German origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the Old German word "karin," which means "to lament" or "to mourn." It is possible that the name was initially given as a descriptive surname to someone who was known for their melancholic or sorrowful nature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Caringer can be found in the archives of the city of Nuremberg, dating back to the late 15th century. In a document from 1489, a certain Hans Caringer is mentioned as a merchant and landowner in the region. This suggests that the Caringer family had already established themselves as a respected and influential family in the area by that time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Caringer appeared in various historical records across different regions of Germany, indicating the gradual spread of the family. For instance, in 1543, a Jakob Caringer was recorded as a member of the guild of blacksmiths in the city of Augsburg. In 1624, a Maria Caringer was mentioned in the church records of the town of Würzburg.
One notable individual with the surname Caringer was Johann Christoph Caringer, a German composer and musician who lived from 1628 to 1689. He was renowned for his works in the Baroque style and served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Prince-Bishopric of Bamberg.
Another prominent figure bearing this surname was Friedrich Caringer, a German philosopher and scholar who was born in 1732 and died in 1803. He was a professor at the University of Jena and made significant contributions to the field of ethics and moral philosophy.
In the 19th century, the name Caringer can be found in various genealogical records and local histories across different regions of Germany, as well as in some areas of Austria and Switzerland, where German settlers had established themselves. For instance, a certain Karl Caringer, born in 1821, was a respected lawyer and judge in the city of Munich.
It is worth noting that the spelling of the name has undergone some variations over time, with alternate spellings such as "Karinger" or "Cäringer" being encountered in historical documents. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in the Old German word "karin."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caringer
Among Census respondents with the surname Caringer, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Caringer 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 Caringer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.9% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino8.7% · 10
- Two or more races7.8% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.0% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caringer
Caringer 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,083 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-8 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,308 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 5,083 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 9,308 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 Caringer 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 | #136,449 | #145,757 | -6.8% |
| Count | 123 | 115 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caringer bearers went from 123 to 115 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 9,308 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #145,757.
FAQ
Caringer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caringer?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Caringer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Caringer?
Caringer ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Caringer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Caringer.
Has Caringer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caringer went from 123 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Caringer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caringer, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.7%) and Two or More Races (7.8%). 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 Caringer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.9% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caringer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.9%), Hispanic (8.7%), Two or More Races (7.8%). 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 Caringer (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 Caringer mean?
A locative surname indicating someone from the town of Kering, Germany. 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 Caringer (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 Caringer?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Caringer is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.