2000
#7,190
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,281
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.59
Rare Last name
Lent
Derived from a place name or from the Old English word "lang," meaning long or tall.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,630 Americans carry the last name Lent. That puts it at #7,881 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 74,029 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lent 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 Lent with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.6K
1 in 74,029
Census rank
#7,881
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,038 bearers of the surname Lent in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7881st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lent, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lent
The surname Lent has its origins in the Low German language and is believed to have first emerged in the northern regions of Germany and the Netherlands. It is thought to be derived from the Low German word "lente," which means "spring" or "Lent," referring to the Christian season of Lent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lent can be found in the Osnabrück Monastery records from the late 12th century, where a monk named Johannes Lent is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use during this period and may have been adopted by individuals associated with the church or religious orders.
During the Middle Ages, the name Lent was particularly prevalent in the regions of Lower Saxony and Westphalia in Germany, as well as the neighboring areas of the Netherlands. It is possible that the name was initially used as a descriptive surname, referring to individuals born or associated with the Lenten season.
In the 14th century, the name Lent appeared in various records across these regions, including the Bremian Wardrobe Accounts, where a certain Hinrik Lent is mentioned as a merchant. This indicates that the name had spread beyond its religious connotations and was being used by individuals from different walks of life.
One notable bearer of the surname Lent was Jan Lent (c. 1420-1495), a Dutch painter and stained glass artist from Nijmegen, known for his work in churches and cathedrals throughout the Low Countries. Another figure was Casparus Lent (1550-1622), a German theologian and professor at the University of Rostock.
As the name spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Lentt, Lente, and Lenten. In England, the surname Lent can be traced back to the 16th century, with records showing individuals like William Lent (c. 1520-1585), a merchant and landowner from Kent.
Over time, the Lent surname has been associated with various notable individuals, including Johann Lent (1659-1712), a German theologian and author; Johann Lent (1674-1735), a German painter and engraver; and Johann Friedrich Lent (1731-1803), a German composer and organist.
Despite its widespread use, the surname Lent has retained its connection to its linguistic roots, serving as a reminder of the influence of seasonal and religious traditions on the development of surnames throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lent
Among Census respondents with the surname Lent, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lent 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 Lent surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 3,658
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 163
- Two or more races2.8% · 112
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 32
- Black or African American0.7% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lent
Lent 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
#7,652
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,341
+60 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 462 places
2020
#7,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,038
-303 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 229 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,190 | 4,281 | 1.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,652 | 4,341 | 1.47 | +60 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 462 places |
| 2020 | #7,881 | 4,038 | 1.35 | -303 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 229 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 Lent 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 | #7,652 | #7,881 | -3.0% |
| Count | 4,341 | 4,038 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.35 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lent bearers went from 4,341 to 4,038 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 229 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,652 to #7,881.
FAQ
Lent surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lent?
Name Census estimates that about 4,630 living Americans carry the surname Lent. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 74,029 residents.
How common is Lent?
Lent ranks #7,881 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,038 people with the surname Lent. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,630), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lent.
Has Lent become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lent went from 4,341 recorded bearers to 4,038. That is a decrease of 303 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,652 to #7,881.
What does the Census say about the background of Lent?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lent, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Lent in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (3,658 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lent appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Lent (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 Lent mean?
Derived from a place name or from the Old English word "lang," meaning long or tall. 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 Lent (1.35 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 Lent?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Lent at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.