2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Lenherr
An occupational surname indicating someone who was a linen maker or weaver.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Lenherr. 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 Lenherr 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 Lenherr 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 Lenherr, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lenherr
The surname Lenherr is of German origin, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It originated in the southern regions of present-day Germany, particularly in the states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name is believed to be derived from the Middle High German words "len," meaning "fief" or "feudal estate," and "herr," meaning "lord" or "master." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a landowner or a person of noble descent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lenherr can be found in the archives of the city of Augsburg, where a certain Hans Lenherr is mentioned as a citizen in the year 1547. Additionally, the name appears in various church records and legal documents from the 16th and 17th centuries in the towns of Nürnberg, Regensburg, and Munich.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Lenherr family seemed to have established themselves as prominent landowners and merchants in the Bavarian region. Notable individuals from this period include Johann Lenherr (1632-1701), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist from Munich, and Anna Margaretha Lenherr (1670-1738), who was recorded as a significant landowner in the village of Dachau.
In the 19th century, the name Lenherr gained further recognition with the birth of the renowned German painter and engraver, Johann Lenherr (1815-1888). His works, which depicted scenes from Bavarian rural life, are still celebrated and displayed in various art galleries across Germany.
Another noteworthy individual was Friedrich Lenherr (1858-1924), a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Reichstag, representing the city of Munich from 1893 to 1912. He was known for his advocacy of workers' rights and social reforms.
The name Lenherr also found its way into literature, with the German author and poet, Maximilian Lenherr (1879-1957), who published several collections of poetry and short stories depicting the lives of ordinary Bavarian people.
While the surname Lenherr is primarily associated with Germany, it has also been recorded in other parts of Europe, particularly in Switzerland and Austria, where individuals with this name may have migrated over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lenherr
Among Census respondents with the surname Lenherr, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lenherr 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 Lenherr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lenherr
Lenherr 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
-3 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 10,013 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-17 bearers (-12.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,779 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | -3 bearers (-2.2%) | Down 10,013 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.8%) | Down 16,779 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 Lenherr 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 | #128,249 | #145,028 | -13.1% |
| Count | 133 | 116 | -12.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -22.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lenherr bearers went from 133 to 116 (-12.8% change). The surname moved down 16,779 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #145,028.
FAQ
Lenherr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lenherr?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Lenherr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Lenherr?
Lenherr 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 Lenherr. 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 Lenherr.
Has Lenherr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lenherr went from 133 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 17 (-12.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Lenherr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lenherr, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) 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 Lenherr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lenherr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (4.3%), 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 Lenherr (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 Lenherr mean?
An occupational surname indicating someone who was a linen maker or weaver. 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 Lenherr (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 Lenherr?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.