2010
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Lingerfeldt
A surname with German origins, literally meaning "long field."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Lingerfeldt. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lingerfeldt 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Lingerfeldt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lingerfeldt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lingerfeldt
The surname LINGERFELDT is believed to have originated in Germany, likely during the Middle Ages. It is a locational surname, meaning it derived from a specific place or geographic area. The root of the name can be traced back to the Old German words "ling," meaning a meadow or pasture, and "feld," meaning field or open land.
This surname suggests that the earliest bearers of the name LINGERFELDT likely hailed from a region or settlement known for its meadows or pasture fields. It's possible the name originated from a specific village or town with a name incorporating these elements, such as "Lingerfeld" or a similar variation.
While no definitive historical records have been found mentioning the name LINGERFELDT in medieval manuscripts or chronicles, it is not uncommon for surnames of this nature to have evolved over time through various spellings and regional variations.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname LINGERFELDT dates back to the late 16th century, with the birth of Hans LINGERFELDT in the town of Worms, Germany, in 1582. Another notable bearer of the name was Johann LINGERFELDT, a prominent merchant and landowner from the city of Hamburg, who lived from 1624 to 1698.
In the 18th century, the name LINGERFELDT appeared in several church records and land deeds in the region of Bavaria, suggesting the surname had spread to different parts of Germany by that time. One notable individual from this period was Margaretha LINGERFELDT, a respected midwife and herbalist born in Nuremberg in 1732.
As the LINGERFELDT family expanded and migrated throughout Europe, the name found its way into various historical records and documents. In the 19th century, a prominent figure with this surname was Wilhelm LINGERFELDT, a German philosopher and writer born in Berlin in 1818, whose works explored themes of existentialism and the human condition.
Another notable bearer of the LINGERFELDT name was Anna LINGERFELDT, a celebrated opera singer from Munich, who performed across Europe in the late 19th century and was renowned for her powerful soprano voice.
While the origins of the surname LINGERFELDT can be traced back to Germany, it is likely that over the centuries, families with this name have dispersed worldwide, carrying their unique heritage and history with them.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lingerfeldt
Among Census respondents with the surname Lingerfeldt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lingerfeldt 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 Lingerfeldt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 95
- Two or more races4.9% · 5
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lingerfeldt
Lingerfeldt appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-30 bearers (-22.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 25,933 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -30 bearers (-22.6%) | Down 25,933 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 Lingerfeldt 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 | #128,249 | #154,182 | -20.2% |
| Count | 133 | 103 | -22.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.03 | -31.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lingerfeldt bearers went from 133 to 103 (-22.6% change). The surname moved down 25,933 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #154,182.
FAQ
Lingerfeldt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lingerfeldt?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Lingerfeldt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Lingerfeldt?
Lingerfeldt ranks #154,182 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 103 people with the surname Lingerfeldt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), 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 Lingerfeldt.
Has Lingerfeldt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lingerfeldt went from 133 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 30 (-22.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Lingerfeldt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lingerfeldt, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Lingerfeldt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lingerfeldt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Black (1.0%). 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 Lingerfeldt (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 Lingerfeldt mean?
A surname with German origins, literally meaning "long field." 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 Lingerfeldt (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 many people share the surname Lingerfeldt?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.