2000
#6,723
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,626
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.71
Rare Last name
Lindeman
A surname derived from a place name or a topographic name for someone who lived near a linden tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,152 Americans carry the last name Lindeman. That puts it at #7,174 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 66,528 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lindeman 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
5.2K
1 in 66,528
Census rank
#7,174
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,493 bearers of the surname Lindeman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7174th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lindeman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lindeman
The surname Lindeman is of German origin, with roots that trace back to the Middle Ages. It emerged as a descriptive name, derived from the Old High German words "lind" meaning "linden tree" and "man" meaning "person." Essentially, Lindeman referred to someone who lived or worked near linden trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lindeman can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the Duchy of Brunswick-Lüneburg, dated around 1260. Here, the name appears as "Lindenman," reflecting its original spelling variations.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it evolved into various forms such as Lindenmann, Lindemann, and Lindeman. These slight variations in spelling were common during the Middle Ages due to inconsistent record-keeping practices.
The Lindeman surname can be linked to several prominent figures throughout history. One notable individual was Johann Lindeman (1488-1554), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. Another was Friederich Ludwig Lindeman (1799-1865), a German composer and music educator known for his contributions to church music and choral works.
In the realm of literature, Lindeman is associated with the German poet and novelist Wilhelm Lindemann (1828-1879), whose works explored themes of rural life and the natural world. Additionally, the name appears in connection with Friedrich Ludwig Lindeman (1862-1956), a German-American architect who designed several notable buildings in Chicago during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
During the 19th century, many Lindeman families emigrated from Germany to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia. This diaspora further diversified the spelling and geographical distribution of the name.
While the surname Lindeman has its roots in Germany, it has since spread globally, with notable bearers in various fields, from academia to the arts, reflecting the rich cultural and historical significance of this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lindeman
Among Census respondents with the surname Lindeman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lindeman 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 Lindeman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 4,145
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 141
- Two or more races3.1% · 139
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
- Black or African American0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lindeman
Lindeman 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
#7,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,757
+131 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.61
Rank movement Down 315 places
2020
#7,174
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,493
-264 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Down 136 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,723 | 4,626 | 1.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,038 | 4,757 | 1.61 | +131 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 315 places |
| 2020 | #7,174 | 4,493 | 1.50 | -264 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 136 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 Lindeman 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 | #7,038 | #7,174 | -1.9% |
| Count | 4,757 | 4,493 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.61 | 1.50 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lindeman bearers went from 4,757 to 4,493 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 136 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,038 to #7,174.
FAQ
Lindeman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lindeman?
Name Census estimates that about 5,152 living Americans carry the surname Lindeman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 66,528 residents.
How common is Lindeman?
Lindeman ranks #7,174 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,493 people with the surname Lindeman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,152), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lindeman.
Has Lindeman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lindeman went from 4,757 recorded bearers to 4,493. That is a decrease of 264 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,038 to #7,174.
What does the Census say about the background of Lindeman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lindeman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Lindeman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (4,145 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lindeman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Lindeman (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 Lindeman mean?
A surname derived from a place name or a topographic name for someone who lived near a linden tree. 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 Lindeman (1.50 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 Lindeman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.