2000
#13,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,061
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.76
Rare Last name
Lineberger
A German occupational surname referring to a rope maker or linen weaver.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,173 Americans carry the last name Lineberger. That puts it at #14,974 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 157,733 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lineberger 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
2.2K
1 in 157,733
Census rank
#14,974
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,895 bearers of the surname Lineberger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14974th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lineberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lineberger
The surname Lineberger originated in Germany during the 13th century. It is derived from the Old High German words "lind" meaning "lime tree" and "berg" meaning "hill" or "mountain". The name likely referred to someone who lived near a lime tree-covered hill or mountain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a German legal document from 1283, which mentions a person named "Conrad Lindeberger". Over time, the spelling evolved to the modern form of Lineberger.
In the 16th century, the Lineberger family was well-established in the town of Staufen, located in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Several members of the family held prominent positions in the local government and guilds during this period.
One notable early bearer of the name was Hans Lineberger (1512-1578), a respected blacksmith and citizen of Staufen. His son, Jakob Lineberger (1544-1612), served as the town's mayor for several terms in the late 16th century.
As the Lineberger family grew and expanded, some members emigrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. In the 18th century, Johann Lineberger (1725-1802) was among the first Linebergers to settle in the British colonies of North America, establishing a homestead in Pennsylvania.
Another prominent figure was Friedrich Lineberger (1801-1875), a German philosopher and educator who authored several influential works on ethics and moral philosophy. He taught at various universities in Germany throughout his career.
In the 19th century, Wilhelm Lineberger (1835-1912) was a successful businessman and industrialist in the city of Cologne, where he owned several factories and warehouses. He was also a philanthropist and donated generously to local charities and educational institutions.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the surname Lineberger throughout history. While the name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by descendants of the original Lineberger families.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lineberger
Among Census respondents with the surname Lineberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lineberger 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 Lineberger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.5% · 1,507
- Black or African American12.5% · 237
- Two or more races3.5% · 67
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lineberger
Lineberger 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
#14,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,127
+66 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 605 places
2020
#14,974
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,895
-232 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 847 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,522 | 2,061 | 0.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,127 | 2,127 | 0.72 | +66 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 605 places |
| 2020 | #14,974 | 1,895 | 0.63 | -232 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 847 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 Lineberger 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 | #14,127 | #14,974 | -6.0% |
| Count | 2,127 | 1,895 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.63 | -11.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lineberger bearers went from 2,127 to 1,895 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 847 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,127 to #14,974.
FAQ
Lineberger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lineberger?
Name Census estimates that about 2,173 living Americans carry the surname Lineberger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 157,733 residents.
How common is Lineberger?
Lineberger ranks #14,974 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,895 people with the surname Lineberger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,173), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Lineberger.
Has Lineberger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lineberger went from 2,127 recorded bearers to 1,895. That is a decrease of 232 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,127 to #14,974.
What does the Census say about the background of Lineberger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lineberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.5%. The next largest groups are Black (12.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Lineberger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (1,507 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lineberger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.5%), Black (12.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Lineberger (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 Lineberger mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a rope maker or linen 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 Lineberger (0.63 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 Lineberger?
You can see how many people have the last name Lineberger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.