2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lense
A surname of Low German origin meaning "lentil field" or "lens".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Lense. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lense 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Lense in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lense, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.7%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lense
The surname Lense is believed to have originated in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "lins," which means "lentil" or "lens." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational name for someone who grew or sold lentils or lenses.
One of the earliest known references to the name Lense can be found in the church records of the town of Wittenberg, Germany, from the year 1578. The record mentions a man named Hans Lense who was a farmer in the area.
In the 17th century, the name Lense began to appear in other parts of Germany, including the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. It is likely that the name spread as people migrated from one area to another in search of better opportunities.
One notable person with the surname Lense was Johann Friedrich Lense, a German astronomer who lived from 1785 to 1839. He made important contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and wrote several influential works on the subject.
Another person of note was Carl Lense, a German physicist who lived from 1861 to 1935. He is best known for his work on the theory of relativity and his collaboration with Albert Einstein.
In the 19th century, the surname Lense began to appear in various records from other European countries, suggesting that people with this name had migrated from Germany to other parts of the continent.
One such record is from the Netherlands, where a man named Pieter Lense was born in 1820. He was a successful businessman and played an important role in the development of the Dutch economy during that time.
Another notable person with the surname Lense was Friedrich Lense, a German composer who lived from 1836 to 1904. He wrote numerous works for orchestra and chamber ensembles and is considered one of the leading composers of the Romantic era in Germany.
While the surname Lense is not as common as some other German surnames, it has a rich history and has been associated with several notable individuals throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lense
Among Census respondents with the surname Lense, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.7%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lense 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 Lense surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.4% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino13.7% · 14
- Two or more races4.9% · 5
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lense
Lense 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+12 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,974 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-24 bearers (-19.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 20,892 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +12 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 1,974 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -24 bearers (-19.0%) | Down 20,892 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 Lense 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 | #133,863 | #154,755 | -15.6% |
| Count | 126 | 102 | -19.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lense bearers went from 126 to 102 (-19.0% change). The surname moved down 20,892 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #154,755.
FAQ
Lense surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lense?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Lense. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Lense?
Lense ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Lense. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Lense.
Has Lense become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lense went from 126 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 24 (-19.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Lense?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lense, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.7%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Lense in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.4% (81 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lense appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.4%), Hispanic (13.7%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Lense (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 Lense mean?
A surname of Low German origin meaning "lentil field" or "lens". 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 Lense (0.03 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 common is the surname Lense?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Lense, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.