2000
#5,376
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,964
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.21
Rare Last name
Engler
An occupational surname for someone who made hooks or operated fishing tackle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,659 Americans carry the last name Engler. That puts it at #5,747 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,472 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Engler 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
6.7K
1 in 51,472
Census rank
#5,747
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,807 bearers of the surname Engler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5747th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Engler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Engler
The surname Engler originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in Germany and Switzerland, during the late medieval period. It is derived from the German word "Engl," which means "narrow" or "confined," and often referred to individuals who lived in a narrow valley or a confined area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Engler can be found in the Codex Traditionum Illustris Ecclesiae Fuldensis, a medieval manuscript from the 9th century that documented land transactions and donations to the Fulda Abbey in present-day Germany. The name appears as "Engiler," potentially indicating an early variation of the spelling.
In the 13th century, the Engler surname is mentioned in various records from the Holy Roman Empire, including the Codex Traditionum Monasterii Sancti Galli, which contains documents from the Abbey of St. Gall in Switzerland. This suggests that the name was well-established in both German and Swiss regions during this period.
The Engler surname is also found in the Schöffenbücher, or the court records of medieval German cities, such as those from Cologne and Frankfurt am Main, dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. These records often provide insights into the lives and occupations of individuals bearing the name.
One notable individual with the Engler surname was Johann Engler, a German scholar and theologian who lived from 1486 to 1531. He was a professor at the University of Ingolstadt and contributed to the intellectual and religious discourse of his time.
Another prominent figure was Georg Engler, a German botanist and taxonomist who lived from 1838 to 1930. He made significant contributions to the field of plant classification and is best known for his work on the Engler system of plant taxonomy.
In the 16th century, the Engler surname can be found in various Swiss records, including the Bürgerbücher (citizen registers) of cities like Zurich and Basel. One notable individual from this period was Hans Engler, a Swiss painter and engraver who lived from 1534 to 1609.
The name Engler also has connections to various place names in Germany and Switzerland, such as Englerth, a town in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany, and Engler, a village in the canton of Bern, Switzerland. These place names may have influenced the surname's formation or provided clues about the origins of individuals bearing the name.
Throughout history, the Engler surname has been associated with various occupations, including farmers, artisans, and professionals, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who carried the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Engler
Among Census respondents with the surname Engler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Engler 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 Engler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 5,351
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 209
- Two or more races2.5% · 148
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 36
- Black or African American0.3% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Engler
Engler 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
#5,612
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,194
+230 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 2.10
Rank movement Down 236 places
2020
#5,747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,807
-387 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Down 135 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,376 | 5,964 | 2.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,612 | 6,194 | 2.10 | +230 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 236 places |
| 2020 | #5,747 | 5,807 | 1.94 | -387 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 135 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 Engler 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 | #5,612 | #5,747 | -2.4% |
| Count | 6,194 | 5,807 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.10 | 1.94 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Engler bearers went from 6,194 to 5,807 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 135 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,612 to #5,747.
FAQ
Engler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Engler?
Name Census estimates that about 6,659 living Americans carry the surname Engler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,472 residents.
How common is Engler?
Engler ranks #5,747 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,807 people with the surname Engler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,659), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Engler.
Has Engler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Engler went from 6,194 recorded bearers to 5,807. That is a decrease of 387 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,612 to #5,747.
What does the Census say about the background of Engler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Engler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Engler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (5,351 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Engler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Engler (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 Engler mean?
An occupational surname for someone who made hooks or operated fishing tackle. 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 Engler (1.94 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 have the last name Engler?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Engler, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.