2000
#1,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,977
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.11
Uncommon Last name
Lange
A surname of German origin referring to a tall person or someone who lived by a long field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 33,762 Americans carry the last name Lange. That puts it at #1,174 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,152 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lange 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 Lange with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
34K
1 in 10,152
Census rank
#1,174
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 29,442 bearers of the surname Lange in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1174th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lange, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lange
The surname Lange has its origins in the German and Dutch languages, where it was derived from the word "lang," meaning "long" or "tall." This name first appeared in medieval times, likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone of a taller stature.
The earliest recorded use of the Lange surname dates back to the 13th century in various regions of present-day Germany and the Netherlands. It is believed to have emerged independently in multiple areas, as descriptive surnames were a common practice during this period.
One notable early reference to the name can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Lubecensis," a collection of historical documents from the city of Lübeck, Germany, which mentions a "Hermannus Lange" in 1278.
In the 14th century, the Lange surname appeared in various historical records, such as the "Urkundenbuch der Stadt Braunschweig" (Charter Book of the City of Brunswick), where a "Johannes Lange" is documented in 1348.
Throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, the Lange surname was widespread across German-speaking regions and the Low Countries. Notable individuals bearing this name include the Dutch painter Hendrick Goltzius (1558-1617), also known as Hendrik Goltzius Lange, and the German astronomer Johann Heinrich Lange (1728-1782).
In the 17th century, the German philosopher and polymath Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716), whose mother's maiden name was Lange, made significant contributions to various fields, including metaphysics, mathematics, and philosophy.
Another notable figure was the German composer and music theorist Johann Philipp Lange (1699-1765), who composed several operas and served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of Darmstadt.
In the 19th century, the Lange surname gained prominence with individuals such as the German philosopher Friedrich Albert Lange (1828-1875), known for his influential work "The History of Materialism," and the German economist and sociologist Georg Lange (1815-1899), who made important contributions to the field of economics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lange
Among Census respondents with the surname Lange, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lange 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 Lange surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 26,709
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 1,075
- Two or more races2.7% · 797
- Black or African American1.7% · 509
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 254
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 98
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lange
Lange 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
#1,132
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,984
+1,007 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 10.50
Rank movement Down 64 places
2020
#1,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,442
-1,542 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 9.85
Rank movement Down 42 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,068 | 29,977 | 11.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,132 | 30,984 | 10.50 | +1,007 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 64 places |
| 2020 | #1,174 | 29,442 | 9.85 | -1,542 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 42 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 Lange 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 | #1,132 | #1,174 | -3.7% |
| Count | 30,984 | 29,442 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 10.50 | 9.85 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lange bearers went from 30,984 to 29,442 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 42 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,132 to #1,174.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lange
FAQ
Lange surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lange?
Name Census estimates that about 33,762 living Americans carry the surname Lange. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,152 residents.
How common is Lange?
Lange ranks #1,174 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 29,442 people with the surname Lange. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (33,762), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Lange.
Has Lange become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lange went from 30,984 recorded bearers to 29,442. That is a decrease of 1,542 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,132 to #1,174.
What does the Census say about the background of Lange?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lange, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Lange in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (26,709 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lange appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Lange (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 Lange mean?
A surname of German origin referring to a tall person or someone who lived by a long field. 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 Lange (9.85 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 Lange?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Lange, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.