Find out how popular the last name Enfinger is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Enfinger.

Enfinger, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Enfinger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Enfinger in America

Enfinger is the 18994th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Enfinger surname appeared 1,435 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Enfinger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Enfinger to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Enfinger

The surname ENFINGER is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages, likely derived from the German word "enfinger," which means "thumb." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname or occupational name referring to someone with a distinctive thumb or who worked with their thumbs in a particular trade or profession.

The earliest recorded instances of the ENFINGER surname can be traced back to the 14th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. It is possible that the name appeared in some medieval records or local documents from that period, although specific references are scarce due to the age and scarcity of such records.

In the 16th century, a notable individual named Hans ENFINGER (born around 1520) was mentioned in the town records of Nuremberg, Germany, as a skilled blacksmith. His craft likely involved using his thumb extensively, lending credence to the potential occupational origin of the name.

As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged. Some examples include ENFENGER, ENFINGHER, and ENFFINGER, reflecting the linguistic and regional differences of the areas where the name was adopted.

In the 18th century, a prominent figure bearing the ENFINGER name was Johann Georg ENFINGER (1720-1789), a German composer and violinist who served as the court musician for the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg.

Another notable individual was Friedrich ENFINGER (1785-1852), a German theologian and philosopher who authored several influential works on ethics and morality.

In the 19th century, the ENFINGER surname began to appear in records outside of Germany, indicating that individuals with this name had started to migrate to other parts of Europe and beyond. For instance, there are records of an ENFINGER family settling in the Netherlands around the 1840s.

Karl ENFINGER (1867-1932), a German architect and urban planner, made significant contributions to the design and development of several cities in Germany during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

While the ENFINGER surname may have originated in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with descendants of the original name bearers residing in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia, among others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Enfinger

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Enfinger.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Enfinger was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Enfinger has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Enfinger was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Enfinger, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!