2000
#150,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lenhof
A German surname derived from a place name referring to a meadow or pasture.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Lenhof. 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 Lenhof 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 Lenhof 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 Lenhof, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lenhof
The surname Lenhof originated in Germany during the medieval period, likely in the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Middle High German words "lenn" meaning "lease" and "hof" meaning "courtyard" or "farm." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who leased or lived on a courtyard or farm.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lenhof surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany. In this collection, a record from 1287 mentions a "Henricus de Lenhove," indicating the presence of the name in that region during the late 13th century.
The Lenhof surname also appears in various other medieval records and documents from different parts of Germany. For example, in the Urkundenbuch der Stadt Braunschweig, a document from the city of Brunswick, there is a record from 1389 mentioning a "Hans van Lenhove."
In the 15th century, the name Lenhof was associated with a noble family from the region of Westphalia in western Germany. One notable member of this family was Johann von Lenhof, who was born around 1420 and served as a military commander and advisor to the Archbishop of Cologne.
Another prominent figure with the Lenhof surname was Hieronymus Lenhof, a German theologian and reformer who lived in the 16th century (1526-1597). He was a supporter of the Protestant Reformation and played a role in the religious debates and controversies of that era.
During the 17th century, the Lenhof name was also found in the region of Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany. One notable individual from this area was Detlev Lenhof, a merchant and trader who was born in 1642 and became involved in the lucrative Baltic Sea trade.
Over time, the Lenhof surname spread to other parts of Europe, with some variations in spelling such as Lenhofen, Lenhoff, or Lenhove. While the name has its roots in Germany, it has been carried by individuals from various backgrounds and professions throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lenhof
Among Census respondents with the surname Lenhof, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lenhof 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 Lenhof surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lenhof
Lenhof 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,276 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+15 bearers (+14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 14,684 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #150,436 | 100 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 9,276 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.9%) | Up 14,684 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 Lenhof 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 | #159,712 | #145,028 | 9.2% |
| Count | 101 | 116 | 14.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 29.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lenhof bearers went from 101 to 116 (+14.9% change). The surname moved up 14,684 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #145,028.
FAQ
Lenhof surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lenhof?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Lenhof. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Lenhof?
Lenhof 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 Lenhof. 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 Lenhof.
Has Lenhof become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lenhof went from 101 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 15 (+14.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Lenhof?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lenhof, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Lenhof in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lenhof appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Lenhof (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 Lenhof mean?
A German surname derived from a place name referring to a meadow or pasture. 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 Lenhof (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 Lenhof?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.