Doniger
A surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "loud" or "noisy".
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 206 Americans carry the last name Doniger. That puts it at #102,197 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,663,856 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Doniger surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
206
1 in 1,663,856
Census rank
#102,197
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
176
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 176 bearers of the surname Doniger in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 102197th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Doniger, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Doniger
The surname DONIGER is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the town of Donaueschingen in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The name is derived from the German words "Donau" meaning "Danube" and "Eschingen," an old place name.
In its earliest known form, the name was spelled as "Donaueschinger," reflecting its connection to the town's name. Over time, this evolved into various spellings like "Doniger," "Donegar," and "Donegger" as families migrated and settled in different regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the church records of Donaueschingen, where a certain Hans Donaueschinger was mentioned in 1586. Another notable early reference is in the Codex Diplomaticus Alemanniae, a collection of historical documents from the region, which includes a mention of a Johann Donaueschinger in 1612.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the town of Villingen, located near Donaueschingen, where a family with the surname DONIGER is documented as having lived. This suggests that some members of the family had already adopted the shortened spelling by that time.
One of the earliest known DONIGER individuals was Johann Michael DONIGER, born in 1692 in Villingen. He was a prominent local merchant and landowner, and his descendants carried on the family name in the region.
Another notable figure from history was Friedrich Wilhelm DONIGER (1777-1838), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
In the 19th century, the surname spread more widely across Germany and into neighboring countries as families migrated. One example is Albert DONIGER (1858-1921), an Austrian painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and portraiture.
The name also found its way to the United States, with one of the earliest recorded instances being that of Johann DONIGER (1822-1904), who immigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania in the mid-1800s and worked as a farmer.
Another prominent individual with the DONIGER surname was Wendy DONIGER (1941-present), an American Indologist and scholar of Hinduism, who has authored numerous books and academic works on the subject.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Doniger
Among Census respondents with the surname Doniger, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Doniger bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Doniger surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0%
- Unknown or suppressed4.0%
Year on year
2000 vs 2010 Census
How has the Doniger surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2000 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #91,404 | #102,197 | -11.8% |
| Count | 187 | 176 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.06 | -14.3% |
Between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the number of Doniger bearers went from 187 to 176 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 10,793 positions in the national ranking, going from #91,404 to #102,197.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Doniger
FAQ
Doniger surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Doniger?
The surname Doniger holds position #102,197 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 206 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Doniger surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Doniger, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.