2000
#18,822
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,345
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.50
Rare Last name
Denlinger
A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Denlinger.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,198 Americans carry the last name Denlinger. That puts it at #14,840 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,939 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Denlinger 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
2.2K
1 in 155,939
Census rank
#14,840
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,917 bearers of the surname Denlinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14840th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Denlinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Denlinger
The surname Denlinger is of German origin, with its roots tracing back to the 16th century in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It is derived from the Old High German words "tenic" meaning "valley" and "linga" meaning "resident," suggesting that the name was originally given to someone who lived in a particular valley.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Denlinger name can be found in the church records of Esslingen, Germany, where a Johannes Denlinger was documented in 1592. Another early mention appears in the town of Biberach an der Riss, where a Hans Denlinger was registered in 1612.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, many Denlingers emigrated from Germany to North America, particularly to the United States. One notable figure was Johann Adam Denlinger, who was born in 1770 in Wurttemburg, Germany, and later settled in Pennsylvania in the early 1800s.
In the United States, the Denlinger name has been associated with several prominent individuals throughout history. One such person was John Denlinger (1815-1885), a Lutheran minister and educator from Pennsylvania who served as the president of Pennsylvania College (now Gettysburg College) from 1868 to 1884.
Another notable figure was William Henry Denlinger (1856-1917), a businessman and philanthropist from Ohio who founded the Denlinger Wheeled Scraper Company and later became a benefactor of the Ohio State University.
In the field of literature, Jacob Emerson Denlinger (1869-1944) was an American author and educator who wrote several books on English grammar and composition, including "Denlinger's Book of Choice Readings" and "Denlinger's Graded Lessons in Writing."
More recently, Robert Denlinger (1944-2022) was a prominent American actor and director, best known for his roles in productions such as "The Lion King" and "Othello" on Broadway.
Throughout its history, the Denlinger surname has also been associated with various place names and variations in spelling, such as Denlinger Creek in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and the alternative spellings Denlenger and Denliger, which were commonly used in certain regions of Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Denlinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Denlinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Denlinger 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 Denlinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 1,822
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 37
- Two or more races1.9% · 36
- Black or African American0.6% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Denlinger
Denlinger 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
#18,043
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,546
+201 bearers (+14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Up 779 places
2020
#14,840
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,917
+371 bearers (+24.0%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 3,203 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,822 | 1,345 | 0.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,043 | 1,546 | 0.52 | +201 bearers (+14.9%) | Up 779 places |
| 2020 | #14,840 | 1,917 | 0.64 | +371 bearers (+24.0%) | Up 3,203 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 Denlinger 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 | #18,043 | #14,840 | 17.8% |
| Count | 1,546 | 1,917 | 24.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.52 | 0.64 | 23.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Denlinger bearers went from 1,546 to 1,917 (+24.0% change). The surname moved up 3,203 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,043 to #14,840.
FAQ
Denlinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Denlinger?
Name Census estimates that about 2,198 living Americans carry the surname Denlinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,939 residents.
How common is Denlinger?
Denlinger ranks #14,840 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,917 people with the surname Denlinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,198), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Denlinger.
Has Denlinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Denlinger went from 1,546 recorded bearers to 1,917. That is an increase of 371 (+24.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,043 to #14,840.
What does the Census say about the background of Denlinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Denlinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.9%) and Two or More Races (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 Denlinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (1,822 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Denlinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (1.9%), Two or More Races (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 Denlinger (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 Denlinger mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from a place called Denlinger. 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 Denlinger (0.64 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 Denlinger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.