2000
#12,256
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,329
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Enger
An Old Norse habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "meadow" or "grassland."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,585 Americans carry the last name Enger. That puts it at #13,021 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 132,594 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Enger 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
2.6K
1 in 132,594
Census rank
#13,021
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,254 bearers of the surname Enger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13021st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Enger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Enger
The surname Enger originates from Norway and is believed to have its roots in the Old Norse language. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the Old Norse word "eng," which means "meadow" or "pasture." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who lived near or worked on a meadow or pasture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Enger can be found in the Norwegian census records from the 16th century. The spelling variations of the name included Enger, Engar, and Engr. These early records provide valuable insights into the geographic distribution of the name within Norway, primarily concentrated in the western and central regions.
In the 17th century, there are records of an Enger family residing in the town of Trondheim, which was an important trading center during that time. This indicates that the name may have been associated with individuals involved in agricultural or trade-related activities.
The 18th century saw the emergence of a notable figure named Hans Enger (1723-1801), who was a prominent merchant and shipowner in the coastal town of Bergen. His success and influence contributed to the recognition of the Enger name within the Norwegian business community of that era.
Another significant individual bearing the Enger surname was Nils Enger (1801-1865), a Norwegian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Storting (Norwegian Parliament) in the mid-19th century. His involvement in shaping the country's legal and political landscape further added to the prominence of the name.
In the late 19th century, a Norwegian-American immigrant named Ole Enger (1846-1923) settled in Minnesota, United States. He became a successful farmer and played a role in the establishment of the Norwegian-American community in that region, ensuring the continuation of the Enger name beyond Norway's borders.
As the name spread across different parts of the world due to migration and immigration, variations such as Engberg and Engelund emerged, reflecting the influence of local languages and dialects on the spelling of the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Enger
Among Census respondents with the surname Enger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Enger 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 Enger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 2,088
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 68
- Two or more races2.7% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 23
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Enger
Enger 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
#12,204
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,552
+223 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 52 places
2020
#13,021
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,254
-298 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 817 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,256 | 2,329 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,204 | 2,552 | 0.87 | +223 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 52 places |
| 2020 | #13,021 | 2,254 | 0.75 | -298 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 817 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 Enger 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 | #12,204 | #13,021 | -6.7% |
| Count | 2,552 | 2,254 | -11.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.75 | -13.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Enger bearers went from 2,552 to 2,254 (-11.7% change). The surname moved down 817 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,204 to #13,021.
FAQ
Enger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Enger?
Name Census estimates that about 2,585 living Americans carry the surname Enger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 132,594 residents.
How common is Enger?
Enger ranks #13,021 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,254 people with the surname Enger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,585), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Enger.
Has Enger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Enger went from 2,552 recorded bearers to 2,254. That is a decrease of 298 (-11.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,204 to #13,021.
What does the Census say about the background of Enger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Enger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Enger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (2,088 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Enger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Enger (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 Enger mean?
An Old Norse habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "meadow" or "grassland." 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 Enger (0.75 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 are called Enger?
Want to know how many people are called Enger? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.