2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Hangsleben
An occupational surname potentially related to living on a slope or hillside.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Hangsleben. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hangsleben 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Hangsleben in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hangsleben, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hangsleben
The surname HANGSLEBEN is of German origin, originating in the region of Lower Saxony in northern Germany during the medieval period. The name likely derives from the Old German words "hangen" meaning "to hang" and "leben" meaning "life," suggesting a possible connection to someone who lived near a gallows or place of execution.
HANGSLEBEN is a locational surname, indicating that it was initially adopted by someone who resided in or near a place bearing a similar name. There are several villages and towns in Lower Saxony with variations of the name, such as Hangeleben and Hängeleben, which may have contributed to the surname's development.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the HANGSLEBEN name can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city-state of Bremen, dated around 1350. This suggests that the surname was already established in the region by the 14th century.
Notable individuals with the HANGSLEBEN surname throughout history include:
1. Johann HANGSLEBEN (1643-1706), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Jena.
2. Friedrich HANGSLEBEN (1760-1834), a German writer and poet known for his satirical works and contributions to the Romantic literary movement.
3. Amalie HANGSLEBEN (1804-1878), a German author and educator who published several books on women's education and social issues.
4. Karl HANGSLEBEN (1837-1901), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Hangsleben Machinery Company, a major manufacturer of agricultural equipment.
5. Erich HANGSLEBEN (1892-1964), a German military officer who served in World War I and later became a prominent figure in the Nazi Party during World War II.
While the HANGSLEBEN surname does not appear in major historical records like the Domesday Book, its presence in various German archives and documents from the Middle Ages onward suggests a long-standing lineage in the region of Lower Saxony and neighboring areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hangsleben
Among Census respondents with the surname Hangsleben, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Hangsleben 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 Hangsleben surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 106
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hangsleben
Hangsleben 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
-13 bearers (-10.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,562 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,464 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.3%) | Down 20,562 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 2,464 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 Hangsleben 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 | #148,665 | -1.7% |
| Count | 113 | 111 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hangsleben bearers went from 113 to 111 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 2,464 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #148,665.
FAQ
Hangsleben surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hangsleben?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Hangsleben. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Hangsleben?
Hangsleben ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Hangsleben. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Hangsleben.
Has Hangsleben become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hangsleben went from 113 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Hangsleben?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hangsleben, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Hangsleben in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hangsleben appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Black (1.8%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Hangsleben (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 Hangsleben mean?
An occupational surname potentially related to living on a slope or hillside. 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 Hangsleben (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 have the last name Hangsleben?
You can see how common the surname Hangsleben is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.