2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Denkenberger
A German locational surname derived from a place name meaning "those from the valley."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Denkenberger. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Denkenberger 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Denkenberger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Denkenberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Denkenberger
The surname Denkenberger is of German origin, emerging in the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance period, likely between the 14th and 16th centuries. It is derived from the German words "denken," meaning "to think," and "Berger," referring to a person from a specific place, often a hill or mountain. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a contemplative or scholarly individual residing in a mountainous region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the town records of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval town in Bavaria, Germany. In the year 1492, a certain Hans Denkenberger is mentioned as a respected citizen and landowner. This entry provides evidence of the surname's existence during the late 15th century in southern Germany.
Interestingly, the Denkenberger name is also linked to the historic Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), a devastating conflict that ravaged much of Central Europe. A notable figure from this period was Johann Denkenberger (1592-1661), a German Protestant theologian and author who wrote extensively on the religious controversies of his time. His works, such as "De Conciliis Evangelicorum" (1648), offer valuable insights into the intellectual and theological debates that shaped the era.
Moving forward in history, the 18th century saw the rise of Johann Gottfried Denkenberger (1723-1789), a German jurist and legal scholar. His treatises on civil law and legal procedures were highly influential in the Holy Roman Empire and helped establish essential principles of modern jurisprudence.
In the realm of the arts, the name Denkenberger is associated with the talented portraitist and painter, Wilhelm Denkenberger (1805-1876). Born in Nuremberg, Germany, his exquisite portraits and landscapes captured the essence of the Biedermeier period and are now housed in prestigious museums across Europe.
Lastly, a notable figure from the 20th century was the German-American physicist and engineer, Hans Denkenberger (1914-2003). Born in Heidelberg, Germany, he made significant contributions to the development of radar technology during World War II and later worked on aerospace projects for NASA and the U.S. Air Force.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Denkenberger
Among Census respondents with the surname Denkenberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Denkenberger 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 Denkenberger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 99
- Two or more races6.5% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Denkenberger
Denkenberger 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
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,682 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 3,682 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 Denkenberger 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 | #147,253 | #150,935 | -2.5% |
| Count | 112 | 108 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Denkenberger bearers went from 112 to 108 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 3,682 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #150,935.
FAQ
Denkenberger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Denkenberger?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Denkenberger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Denkenberger?
Denkenberger ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Denkenberger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Denkenberger.
Has Denkenberger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Denkenberger went from 112 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Denkenberger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Denkenberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Denkenberger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Denkenberger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (6.5%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Denkenberger (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 Denkenberger mean?
A German locational surname derived from a place name meaning "those from the valley." 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 Denkenberger (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 Americans have the surname Denkenberger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.