2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dringenberg
A habitational surname derived from the town of Dringenberg in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Dringenberg. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dringenberg 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Dringenberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dringenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dringenberg
The surname Dringenberg originates from Germany, and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the town of Dringenberg, located in the district of Höxter in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The name is likely a combination of the Old German words "dring" meaning "narrow" and "berg" meaning "mountain" or "hill."
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Dringenberg can be found in the Westphalian Feudal Records from the late 13th century, where it is listed as "Dringenberghe." This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region during that time period.
In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was Johann Dringenberg, a German humanist and scholar who lived from approximately 1475 to 1535. He was a professor at the University of Cologne and authored several works on philosophy and theology.
Another historical figure with the surname Dringenberg was Hans Dringenberg, a German painter who lived from around 1540 to 1610. He is known for his religious paintings and altarpieces, many of which can still be found in churches throughout Germany.
In the 18th century, Johann Friedrich Dringenberg (1709-1780) was a German composer and organist who served as the court organist for the Prince-Bishop of Paderborn.
Moving into the 19th century, Friedrich Wilhelm Dringenberg (1813-1892) was a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives.
Finally, in the early 20th century, there was Otto Dringenberg (1874-1936), a German architect who specialized in designing churches and other religious buildings in the neo-Romanesque style.
While the name Dringenberg may have originated from a specific town in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and the world, with bearers of the name contributing to various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dringenberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Dringenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Dringenberg 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 Dringenberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 9
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dringenberg
Dringenberg 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
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,985 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 4,985 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 Dringenberg 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 | #145,220 | #150,205 | -3.4% |
| Count | 114 | 109 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dringenberg bearers went from 114 to 109 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 4,985 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #150,205.
FAQ
Dringenberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dringenberg?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Dringenberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Dringenberg?
Dringenberg ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Dringenberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Dringenberg.
Has Dringenberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dringenberg went from 114 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Dringenberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dringenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Dringenberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dringenberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Hispanic (8.3%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Dringenberg (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 Dringenberg mean?
A habitational surname derived from the town of Dringenberg in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. 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 Dringenberg (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 common is the surname Dringenberg?
Find out how common the surname Dringenberg is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.