Find out how popular the last name Lange is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lange.

Lange, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Lange surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lange in America

Lange is the 1132nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lange surname appeared 30,984 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Lange.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lange to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name 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One notable early reference to the name can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Lubecensis," a collection of historical documents from the city of Lübeck, Germany, which mentions a "Hermannus Lange" in 1278.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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lange

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lange.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Lange was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Lange has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Lange was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lange, please contact us.

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