2000
#4,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,929
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.57
Rare Last name
Langer
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a tall person or someone with long limbs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,704 Americans carry the last name Langer. That puts it at #5,057 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,490 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Langer 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 Langer with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.7K
1 in 44,490
Census rank
#5,057
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,718 bearers of the surname Langer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5057th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Langer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Langer
The surname Langer originated in Germany, where it first appeared in the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the German word "lang," meaning "long," and was likely originally used as a descriptive nickname for someone who was tall or lanky in stature.
One of the earliest known records of the name Langer dates back to a document from 1295, which mentions a person named Johannes Langer from the city of Cologne. In the 14th century, there are records of a family named Langer living in the town of Tübingen, in southwestern Germany.
The Langer surname can also be traced to various place names in Germany, such as Langendorf (meaning "long village") or Langenau ("long meadow"). These place names may have influenced the development of the surname in certain regions.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Langer name appeared in various historical documents and records, including church registers and tax rolls. One notable bearer of the name was Johann Langer, a German mathematician and astronomer born in 1564, who made significant contributions to the study of comets and planetary motion.
In the 18th century, a prominent Langer family established themselves in the city of Nuremberg, where they were involved in the textile trade. Johann Georg Langer (1722-1789) was a successful merchant and philanthropist who founded a hospital in the city.
Another notable Langer was Karl Langer (1819-1887), a German painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and historical scenes. His works can be found in various museums and galleries across Germany and Europe.
As the Langer family spread across Europe, the name also found its way to other countries. In the 19th century, for example, there were Langers living in Austria, Switzerland, and even as far as Russia.
Throughout its history, the Langer surname has been associated with various professions and fields, including science, art, business, and more. While it may have originated as a descriptive nickname, it has become a well-established and respected family name across Germany and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Langer
Among Census respondents with the surname Langer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Langer 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 Langer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 6,208
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 203
- Two or more races2.6% · 173
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 79
- Black or African American0.6% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Langer
Langer 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
#4,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,506
+577 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 2.54
Rank movement Down 45 places
2020
#5,057
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,718
-788 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 2.25
Rank movement Down 333 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,679 | 6,929 | 2.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,724 | 7,506 | 2.54 | +577 bearers (+8.3%) | Down 45 places |
| 2020 | #5,057 | 6,718 | 2.25 | -788 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 333 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 Langer 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 | #4,724 | #5,057 | -7.0% |
| Count | 7,506 | 6,718 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.54 | 2.25 | -11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Langer bearers went from 7,506 to 6,718 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 333 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,724 to #5,057.
FAQ
Langer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Langer?
Name Census estimates that about 7,704 living Americans carry the surname Langer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,490 residents.
How common is Langer?
Langer ranks #5,057 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.25 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 6,718 people with the surname Langer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,704), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.25 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 Langer.
Has Langer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Langer went from 7,506 recorded bearers to 6,718. That is a decrease of 788 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,724 to #5,057.
What does the Census say about the background of Langer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Langer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Langer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (6,208 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Langer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Langer (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 Langer mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a tall person or someone with long limbs. 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 Langer (2.25 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 people have the last name Langer?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Langer? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.