2000
#13,855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,000
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Dengler
Derived from the Middle High German word "tengeler," referring to a person who sells small wares or notions.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,099 Americans carry the last name Dengler. That puts it at #15,430 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 163,294 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dengler 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
2.1K
1 in 163,294
Census rank
#15,430
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,830 bearers of the surname Dengler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15430th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dengler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dengler
The surname Dengler originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely in the late medieval period or early modern era. It is derived from the German word "Deng," which means "threshing floor," combined with the suffix "-ler," indicating an occupation or a person associated with a particular activity or place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dengler can be found in the Bavarian town of Abensberg, where a person named Hans Dengler was mentioned in a document dated 1497. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the surname Dengler appears in various records across southern Germany, including in the city of Augsburg, where a family by the name of Dengler owned a successful brewery. Johann Dengler, born in 1532, was a prominent member of this family and served as a city councilor in Augsburg.
The name Dengler is also associated with the village of Denglersmühle, located in the Bavarian region of Franconia. This place name, which translates to "Dengler's Mill," likely originated from a family or individual with the surname Dengler who owned or operated a mill in the area.
One notable historical figure with the surname Dengler is Theodor Dengler, a German-born Roman Catholic priest and missionary who lived from 1820 to 1890. He spent a significant portion of his life in the United States, where he served as a pastor and educator, working with Native American communities in the Great Lakes region.
Another prominent individual with the Dengler surname is Dieter Dengler, a German-American naval aviator who was born in 1938. He is best known for his remarkable survival story after being shot down over Laos during the Vietnam War and enduring a harrowing escape from a prisoner-of-war camp.
Other notable individuals with the surname Dengler include:
1. Johann Dengler (1655-1727), a German composer and organist from Nuremberg.
2. Kaspar Dengler (1838-1904), an Austrian painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
3. Hermann Dengler (1891-1944), a German World War I flying ace credited with 33 aerial victories.
4. Artur Dengler (1911-1985), a German stage and film actor who appeared in numerous productions during the 1940s and 1950s.
While the surname Dengler has its roots in the German-speaking regions, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dengler
Among Census respondents with the surname Dengler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dengler 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 Dengler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 1,690
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 62
- Two or more races2.9% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
- Black or African American0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dengler
Dengler 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
#13,933
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,167
+167 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 78 places
2020
#15,430
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,830
-337 bearers (-15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 1,497 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,855 | 2,000 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,933 | 2,167 | 0.73 | +167 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 78 places |
| 2020 | #15,430 | 1,830 | 0.61 | -337 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 1,497 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 Dengler 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 | #13,933 | #15,430 | -10.7% |
| Count | 2,167 | 1,830 | -15.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.61 | -16.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dengler bearers went from 2,167 to 1,830 (-15.6% change). The surname moved down 1,497 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,933 to #15,430.
FAQ
Dengler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dengler?
Name Census estimates that about 2,099 living Americans carry the surname Dengler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 163,294 residents.
How common is Dengler?
Dengler ranks #15,430 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,830 people with the surname Dengler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,099), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Dengler.
Has Dengler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dengler went from 2,167 recorded bearers to 1,830. That is a decrease of 337 (-15.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,933 to #15,430.
What does the Census say about the background of Dengler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dengler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Dengler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (1,690 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dengler 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 (2.9%). 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 Dengler (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 Dengler mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "tengeler," referring to a person who sells small wares or notions. 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 Dengler (0.61 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 common is the surname Dengler?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Dengler at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.