2000
#6,240
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,042
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.87
Rare Last name
Hartung
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "hartunc," meaning a person who herds animals or livestock.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,663 Americans carry the last name Hartung. That puts it at #6,586 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 60,525 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hartung 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
5.7K
1 in 60,525
Census rank
#6,586
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,938 bearers of the surname Hartung in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6586th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartung, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hartung
The surname Hartung has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from the German word "hart," meaning "hard" or "firm," and "ung," which is a common suffix used to form place names. This suggests that the name may have been associated with a specific location or settlement characterized by its rugged or rocky terrain.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Hartung surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the former principalities of Anhalt in central Germany, dating back to the 12th century. This document contains references to individuals bearing the name Hartung, providing evidence of its early usage in this region.
In the 13th century, the Hartung name appeared in various records and manuscripts across different parts of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. This widespread distribution indicates that the name was well-established and had spread to various regions by this time.
Notable individuals bearing the Hartung surname include Johann Hartung (1505-1579), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Another prominent figure was Georg Hartung (1489-1568), a German humanist and scholar who served as the rector of the University of Wittenberg.
The Hartung surname has also been associated with several place names throughout Germany, such as Hartungsdorf, a village in Saxony, and Hartungsgrün, a municipality in Thuringia. These place names further reinforce the locational origins of the surname and its connection to specific geographic locations.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the Hartung surname was Konrad Hartung, a knight mentioned in a chronicle from the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Heinrich Hartung, a prominent merchant and trader who lived in Nuremberg during the 14th century.
Over the centuries, the Hartung surname has been subject to various spelling variations, including Hartong, Hartungh, and Hartunge, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences of different areas within Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hartung
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartung, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Hartung 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 Hartung surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 4,658
- Two or more races2.6% · 126
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 105
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 26
- Black or African American0.2% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hartung
Hartung 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
#6,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,148
+106 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.75
Rank movement Down 338 places
2020
#6,586
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,938
-210 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.65
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,240 | 5,042 | 1.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,578 | 5,148 | 1.75 | +106 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 338 places |
| 2020 | #6,586 | 4,938 | 1.65 | -210 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 8 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 Hartung 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 | #6,578 | #6,586 | -0.1% |
| Count | 5,148 | 4,938 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.75 | 1.65 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hartung bearers went from 5,148 to 4,938 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,578 to #6,586.
FAQ
Hartung surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hartung?
Name Census estimates that about 5,663 living Americans carry the surname Hartung. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 60,525 residents.
How common is Hartung?
Hartung ranks #6,586 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.65 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 4,938 people with the surname Hartung. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,663), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.65 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 Hartung.
Has Hartung become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hartung went from 5,148 recorded bearers to 4,938. That is a decrease of 210 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,578 to #6,586.
What does the Census say about the background of Hartung?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hartung, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Hartung in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (4,658 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hartung appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Hartung (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 Hartung mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "hartunc," meaning a person who herds animals or livestock. 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 Hartung (1.65 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 common is the surname Hartung?
You can see how many people are called Hartung on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.