Find out how popular the last name Linger is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Linger.

Linger, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Linger surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Linger in America

Linger is the 15052nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Linger surname appeared 1,962 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Linger.

We can also compare 2010 data for Linger to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Linger

The surname Linger originates from the German language and first appeared in regions of modern-day Germany and Austria during the 12th century. It is derived from the Middle High German words "linger" meaning "left-handed" or "slow", and "lingern" meaning "to linger or delay". The name likely referred to someone who was perceived as slow-moving or left-handed.

One of the earliest known records of the name dates back to 1292 in the town of Rottenburg am Neckar, where a man named Heinrich Linger was documented in municipal records. The name also appears in various spellings such as Lingher, Lingher, and Lingere in medieval documents from the 13th and 14th centuries across southern Germany and Austria.

In the 15th century, the surname Linger was found in the town of Salzburg, Austria, where a family of goldsmiths and artisans bearing the name resided. Notable members include Hans Linger (1435-1501), a skilled goldsmith renowned for his intricate religious artifacts and jewelry.

The name Linger also has historical ties to the small village of Linger, located in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. This village likely took its name from an early resident with the surname Linger, and records show families with the name living in the area as early as the 16th century.

One of the earliest known emigrants to North America with the surname Linger was Johann Linger, who arrived in Pennsylvania from the Palatinate region of Germany in 1743. He settled in the area now known as Berks County and established a successful farming community.

Other notable individuals with the surname Linger throughout history include:

1. Franz Linger (1799-1867), an Austrian painter and engraver known for his landscapes and religious works.
2. Konrad Linger (1854-1923), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other German cities.
3. Maximilian Linger (1888-1962), an Austrian composer and conductor who served as the director of the Vienna Boys' Choir from 1924 to 1948.
4. Helene Linger (1910-1992), a German-born American mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of numerical analysis.
5. Klaus Linger (born 1938), a German business executive who served as the CEO of the luxury car manufacturer BMW from 1975 to 1993.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Linger

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Linger.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Linger was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Linger has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Linger was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Linger, please contact us.

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