2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Langenbahn
A German surname meaning "long path" or "long road."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Langenbahn. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Langenbahn 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Langenbahn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Langenbahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Langenbahn
The surname "LANGENBAHN" has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the regions of what is now modern-day Germany, particularly in the northern and central areas.
The name "LANGENBAHN" is a compound word formed by combining the German words "lange" meaning "long" and "bahn" which can refer to a road, path, or track. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a person who lived near or was associated with a long road or path.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "LANGENBAHN" can be found in a 1572 document from the town of Lübeck, which mentions a merchant named Hans Langenbahn. Another early reference is in a 1598 church record from the city of Hamburg, which lists the birth of a child named Anna Langenbahn.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various records from the Duchy of Holstein, which was at that time a part of the Holy Roman Empire. One notable figure from this period was Johann Langenbahn (1625-1701), a Lutheran pastor and theologian who served in the town of Segeberg.
As the centuries progressed, the name spread to other parts of Germany and beyond. In the 18th century, there are records of individuals with the surname "LANGENBAHN" living in the Kingdom of Prussia and the Electorate of Saxony.
One of the most prominent individuals with this surname was Carl Langenbahn (1787-1864), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in the city of Dresden. Another noteworthy figure was Wilhelm Langenbahn (1842-1919), a German politician who served as a member of the Reichstag (Imperial Diet) in the late 19th century.
In the 20th century, the name "LANGENBAHN" continued to be found throughout Germany and other German-speaking regions. One example is the German-American author and journalist Walter Langenbahn (1898-1977), who wrote several books about his experiences as a World War I soldier.
While the name "LANGENBAHN" is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and can be traced back to its origins in the German language and the regions of northern and central Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Langenbahn
Among Census respondents with the surname Langenbahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Langenbahn 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 Langenbahn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Langenbahn
Langenbahn 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-10 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,269 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-6 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,701 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 16,269 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 7,701 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 Langenbahn 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 | #137,327 | #145,028 | -5.6% |
| Count | 122 | 116 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Langenbahn bearers went from 122 to 116 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 7,701 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #145,028.
FAQ
Langenbahn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Langenbahn?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Langenbahn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Langenbahn?
Langenbahn ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Langenbahn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Langenbahn.
Has Langenbahn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Langenbahn went from 122 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Langenbahn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Langenbahn, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Langenbahn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Langenbahn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (6.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Langenbahn (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 Langenbahn mean?
A German surname meaning "long path" or "long road." 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 Langenbahn (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 Americans have the surname Langenbahn?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.