2000
#57,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 332
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Dehlinger
A German surname derived from a place name referring to someone from a particular location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 404 Americans carry the last name Dehlinger. That puts it at #61,594 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 848,402 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dehlinger 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
404
1 in 848,402
Census rank
#61,594
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
352
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 352 bearers of the surname Dehlinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 61594th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dehlinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dehlinger
The surname Dehlinger has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "dehling," which referred to a person who lived in a valley or a depression in the land. This suggests that the name was initially used as a descriptive term for someone who resided in a particular geographic area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Dehlinger can be found in various historical records and documents from the southern regions of Germany, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. In some areas, the name was spelled slightly differently, such as "Dehlenger" or "Dehlingher," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
One notable historical reference to the name Dehlinger is found in the parish records of the town of Oberstadion, located in the district of Alb-Donau in Baden-Württemberg. These records, dating back to the late 16th century, mention a family with the surname Dehlinger residing in the area.
Among the earliest documented individuals with the surname Dehlinger is Hans Dehlinger, born in 1612 in the small village of Dettingen an der Erms, located in the present-day district of Reutlingen, Baden-Württemberg. Hans Dehlinger was a farmer and landowner, and his family's presence in the area can be traced back to the early 17th century.
Another prominent figure bearing the surname Dehlinger was Johann Georg Dehlinger, a renowned composer and organist who lived from 1679 to 1751. He was born in Bühl, a town in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg, and gained recognition for his compositions and performances, particularly in the field of church music.
In the 19th century, Friedrich Dehlinger (1823-1892) made a name for himself as a notable architect and urban planner. He was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings and public spaces in the city of Stuttgart, including the Markthalle (Market Hall) and the Liederhalle concert hall.
The name Dehlinger is also associated with several place names in Germany, such as Dehlingerberg, a hill located near the town of Reutlingen, and Dehlingertal, a small valley in the Black Forest region. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, reflecting the historical presence of families with the Dehlinger name in those areas.
While the surname Dehlinger is not among the most common in Germany, it has a rich history and can be traced back to various regions and individuals who have contributed to the cultural, artistic, and architectural heritage of the country over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dehlinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Dehlinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dehlinger 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 Dehlinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 325
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 12
- Two or more races2.6% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dehlinger
Dehlinger 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
#58,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 345
+13 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 1,329 places
2020
#61,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 352
+7 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 2,859 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #57,406 | 332 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #58,735 | 345 | 0.12 | +13 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 1,329 places |
| 2020 | #61,594 | 352 | 0.12 | +7 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 2,859 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 Dehlinger 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 | #58,735 | #61,594 | -4.9% |
| Count | 345 | 352 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.12 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dehlinger bearers went from 345 to 352 (+2.0% change). The surname moved down 2,859 positions in the national ranking, going from #58,735 to #61,594.
FAQ
Dehlinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dehlinger?
Name Census estimates that about 404 living Americans carry the surname Dehlinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 848,402 residents.
How common is Dehlinger?
Dehlinger ranks #61,594 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 352 people with the surname Dehlinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (404), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Dehlinger.
Has Dehlinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dehlinger went from 345 recorded bearers to 352. That is an increase of 7 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #58,735 to #61,594.
What does the Census say about the background of Dehlinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dehlinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Dehlinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (325 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dehlinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Dehlinger (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 Dehlinger mean?
A German surname derived from a place name referring to someone from a particular location. 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 Dehlinger (0.12 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 Dehlinger?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.