2000
#13,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,012
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Ingold
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "Ing" (Ingwaz, a god) and "wald" (to rule).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,126 Americans carry the last name Ingold. That puts it at #15,238 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,220 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ingold 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ingold with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 161,220
Census rank
#15,238
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,854 bearers of the surname Ingold in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15238th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ingold, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ingold
The surname Ingold has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "Ingil," meaning "youth" or "servant." This surname was likely initially used to identify individuals who were young or worked as servants.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ingold can be found in the Heidelberg Tax Rolls from 1396, where a certain Henne Ingold is mentioned as a resident of the city. The name also appears in various other historical documents from the region, such as the Würzburg Annals from the 15th century.
During the Middle Ages, the Ingold surname was particularly prevalent in the southern regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It is also possible that the name originated from a place name, as there were several villages and towns with similar-sounding names, such as Ingelheim and Ingolstadt.
Notable individuals with the surname Ingold include Johannes Ingold (1572-1642), a German theologian and author known for his works on the Lutheran faith. Another prominent figure was Christoph Ingold (1690-1765), a Swiss mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
In the 19th century, one of the most renowned Ingolds was Victor Ingold (1824-1892), a German-born American businessman and philanthropist. He founded the Ingold Brewing Company in Philadelphia and was actively involved in various charitable organizations.
Another notable person with this surname was Max Ingold (1888-1983), a Swiss chemist who developed the Ingold Theory, which helped explain the mechanisms of organic reactions. His work had a profound impact on the field of organic chemistry.
The Ingold surname has also been found in other parts of Europe, including Switzerland, Austria, and France, likely due to migration patterns over the centuries. While the name may have evolved slightly in spelling or pronunciation, its origins can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of Central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ingold
Among Census respondents with the surname Ingold, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ingold 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 Ingold surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 1,705
- Two or more races3.7% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ingold
Ingold 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
#14,950
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,978
-34 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 1,154 places
2020
#15,238
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,854
-124 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 288 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,796 | 2,012 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,950 | 1,978 | 0.67 | -34 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 1,154 places |
| 2020 | #15,238 | 1,854 | 0.62 | -124 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 288 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 Ingold 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 | #14,950 | #15,238 | -1.9% |
| Count | 1,978 | 1,854 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.62 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ingold bearers went from 1,978 to 1,854 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 288 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,950 to #15,238.
FAQ
Ingold surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ingold?
Name Census estimates that about 2,126 living Americans carry the surname Ingold. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,220 residents.
How common is Ingold?
Ingold ranks #15,238 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,854 people with the surname Ingold. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Ingold.
Has Ingold become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ingold went from 1,978 recorded bearers to 1,854. That is a decrease of 124 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,950 to #15,238.
What does the Census say about the background of Ingold?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ingold, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Ingold in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (1,705 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ingold appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Ingold (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 Ingold mean?
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "Ing" (Ingwaz, a god) and "wald" (to rule). 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 Ingold (0.62 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 Ingold?
Want to know how many people are called Ingold? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.