2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Handelong
A surname of German origin meaning "long-handed" or "large-handed".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Handelong. 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 Handelong 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 Handelong 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 Handelong, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Handelong
The surname Handelong has its origins in the German language, tracing back to the late 15th century. It is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas surrounding the cities of Hamburg and Lübeck.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Handelong can be found in the Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz (Secret State Archives of Prussian Cultural Heritage) in Berlin. This archive contains a document dated 1487, which references a merchant named Hans Handelong who traded goods along the Hanseatic trade routes.
The name Handelong is thought to be derived from the Old German words "hande" meaning "hand" and "lang" meaning "long." This combination suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person with long hands or arms, a physical characteristic that may have distinguished early bearers of the name.
In the 16th century, records show a Handelong family residing in the town of Lüneburg, located in the modern-day state of Lower Saxony. The family owned a modest farm and was known for their involvement in the local agricultural community.
One notable figure bearing the Handelong surname was Johann Handelong (1532-1612), a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Rostock. His scholarly works on religious doctrine and his contributions to the Reformation movement earned him recognition throughout northern Germany.
During the 17th century, the name appears in various records from the city of Hamburg. One such record mentions a merchant named Matthias Handelong (1644-1712), who traded in spices and textiles with merchants from the Netherlands and England.
In the 18th century, the Handelong family spread to other parts of Germany, including the region of Saxony. Carl Friedrich Handelong (1768-1842), a renowned composer and organist, was born in the town of Zittau and composed numerous works for the church and secular celebrations.
Throughout the 19th century, several individuals with the Handelong surname made their mark in various fields. Among them was Friedrich Handelong (1817-1891), a prominent lawyer and judge in the city of Berlin, and Emilie Handelong (1843-1919), a celebrated author known for her novels and poetry focused on the lives of women in rural Germany.
By the 20th century, the Handelong name had spread across different regions of Germany and beyond, with descendants of the original bearers carrying on the legacy of this surname through various professions and contributions to society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Handelong
Among Census respondents with the surname Handelong, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Handelong 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 Handelong surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 102
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Handelong
Handelong 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-14 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 25,138 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+9 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,770 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 25,138 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 10,770 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 Handelong 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 | #160,975 | #150,205 | 6.7% |
| Count | 100 | 109 | 9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Handelong bearers went from 100 to 109 (+9.0% change). The surname moved up 10,770 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #150,205.
FAQ
Handelong surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Handelong?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Handelong. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Handelong?
Handelong 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 Handelong. 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 Handelong.
Has Handelong become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Handelong went from 100 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 9 (+9.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Handelong?
Among Census respondents with the surname Handelong, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Handelong in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Handelong appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Handelong (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 Handelong mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "long-handed" or "large-handed". 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 Handelong (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 Americans have the surname Handelong?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.