2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lenegar
An occupational surname for someone who was a person who made linen fabric.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Lenegar. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lenegar 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Lenegar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lenegar, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lenegar
The surname Lenegar originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "lenu" meaning lease or loan and "ger" meaning spear or javelin. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived on leased land or worked as a lancer or soldier armed with a spear.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1195, where it appears as "Leonegar." This spelling variation highlights the fluid nature of surnames in that era, as they were often based on local dialects and pronunciations.
In the 13th century, the name surfaced in various forms, including "Lenagre" and "Lenegar," in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire and the Feet of Fines for Lincolnshire, respectively. These records provide valuable insights into the geographic distribution of the name across different counties in medieval England.
The Lenegar surname gained further prominence in the 14th century, with notable individuals such as John Lenegar, a landowner in Gloucestershire, mentioned in the Court Rolls of 1327. Another significant figure was William Lenegar, a merchant from Bristol, who was recorded in the city's records in 1389.
During the Tudor period, the name appeared in various historical documents, including the Muster Rolls of 1522, where a Thomas Lenegar was listed as a soldier serving in the English army. In the same century, the Subsidy Rolls of 1524 recorded a Robert Lenegar in Nottinghamshire.
In the 17th century, the Lenegar surname continued to be associated with notable individuals, such as Edward Lenegar, a prominent landowner in Warwickshire, mentioned in the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1662. Another individual of note was John Lenegar, a member of the Merchant Adventurers' Company in York, recorded in the company's records in 1684.
As the centuries progressed, the Lenegar name appeared in various genealogical records and historical accounts, including the birth of Henry Lenegar in Shropshire in 1721 and the marriage of Elizabeth Lenegar to John Willoughby in Derbyshire in 1798.
Throughout its history, the Lenegar surname has been associated with various occupations and social standings, from landowners and merchants to soldiers and tradesmen, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lenegar
Among Census respondents with the surname Lenegar, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lenegar 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 Lenegar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.5% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lenegar
Lenegar appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-6 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,297 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 6,297 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 Lenegar 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 | #143,149 | #149,446 | -4.4% |
| Count | 116 | 110 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lenegar bearers went from 116 to 110 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 6,297 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #149,446.
FAQ
Lenegar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lenegar?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Lenegar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Lenegar?
Lenegar ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Lenegar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Lenegar.
Has Lenegar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lenegar went from 116 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Lenegar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lenegar, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Black (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 Lenegar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.5% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lenegar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.5%), Hispanic (3.6%), Black (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 Lenegar (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 Lenegar mean?
An occupational surname for someone who was a person who made linen fabric. 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 Lenegar (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 people share the surname Lenegar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.