2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Engelgau
A surname derived from a place name meaning "meadow of the Angles" in German.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140 Americans carry the last name Engelgau. That puts it at #140,525 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,448,245 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Engelgau 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
140
1 in 2,448,245
Census rank
#140,525
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
122
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122 bearers of the surname Engelgau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 140525th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Engelgau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Engelgau
The surname ENGELGAU originates from Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words "engel" meaning "angel" and "gau" referring to a historical territorial division or district. This suggests that the name may have initially denoted someone who hailed from a region or village known as Engelgau or Angel's District.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the historical records of the town of Ulm, located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. A certain Hans Engelgau is mentioned in a document dated 1537, suggesting that the name was already established in the region by that time.
In the late 16th century, a notable individual bearing the surname was Johannes Engelgau, a Lutheran scholar and theologian born in Nuremberg in 1567. He authored several works on religious subjects and served as a pastor in various German cities before his death in 1632.
The name also appears in the records of the city of Augsburg, with a merchant named Georg Engelgau documented as operating a successful trading business in the early 17th century. His family is believed to have originated from the nearby town of Dinkelsbühl, where the name may have been derived from a local place name or geographic feature.
During the 18th century, a notable figure was Friedrich Engelgau, a German philosopher and educator born in Heidelberg in 1725. He wrote several influential treatises on ethics and moral philosophy and served as a professor at the University of Göttingen until his death in 1792.
Another individual of note was Karl Engelgau, a German artist and engraver born in Dresden in 1788. His intricate copper etchings and engravings depicting landscapes and architectural subjects were highly acclaimed during his lifetime, and his works can be found in several notable art collections across Europe.
While the surname ENGELGAU is not among the most common in Germany today, its historical roots and notable bearers throughout the centuries attest to its enduring presence in the country's cultural and intellectual heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Engelgau
Among Census respondents with the surname Engelgau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Engelgau 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 Engelgau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 2
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Engelgau
Engelgau 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-9 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,404 places
2020
#140,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+9 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,676 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 17,404 places |
| 2020 | #140,525 | 122 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.0%) | Up 5,676 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 Engelgau 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 | #146,201 | #140,525 | 3.9% |
| Count | 113 | 122 | 8.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Engelgau bearers went from 113 to 122 (+8.0% change). The surname moved up 5,676 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #140,525.
FAQ
Engelgau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Engelgau?
Name Census estimates that about 140 living Americans carry the surname Engelgau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,448,245 residents.
How common is Engelgau?
Engelgau ranks #140,525 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 122 people with the surname Engelgau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140), 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 Engelgau.
Has Engelgau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Engelgau went from 113 recorded bearers to 122. That is an increase of 9 (+8.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #140,525.
What does the Census say about the background of Engelgau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Engelgau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%). 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 Engelgau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Engelgau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (5.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.6%). 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 Engelgau (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 Engelgau mean?
A surname derived from a place name meaning "meadow of the Angles" in German. 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 Engelgau (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 people share the surname Engelgau?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.