2000
#37,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 549
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Very Rare Last name
Linse
A surname derived from the German word for "lentil," possibly relating to cultivation or trade.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 626 Americans carry the last name Linse. That puts it at #42,735 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 547,531 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Linse 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
626
1 in 547,531
Census rank
#42,735
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
546
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 546 bearers of the surname Linse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 42735th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Linse, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Linse
The surname LINSE is believed to have originated in Germany, with roots tracing back to the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Linse," meaning "lentil," likely referring to a person who cultivated or sold lentils as an occupation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the LINSE surname can be found in the Würzburg Archives, where a Hans Linse is mentioned as a resident of the city in the year 1428. This record suggests that the name was already established in the region by the early 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name appears in the records of the Free Imperial City of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a Johannes Linse is listed as a citizen in 1534. This indicates that the surname had spread to other parts of Franconia by this time.
The LINSE surname can also be found in various German church records and tax records from the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. One notable individual from this era was Johann Gottfried Linse (1673-1747), a German theologian and author who served as a pastor in Saxony.
In the 19th century, the LINSE surname gained some prominence with the birth of Karl Linse (1807-1889), a German painter and lithographer known for his landscape and genre paintings. He was born in Dresden and spent most of his career in that city.
Another noteworthy individual with the LINSE surname was Paul Linse (1858-1938), a German architect and urban planner who was instrumental in the development of modern city planning principles. He was born in Dessau and worked on various projects throughout Germany.
The LINSE surname has also been found in other German-speaking regions, such as Austria and Switzerland, although its origins and early history are rooted primarily in Germany. Over time, the name has spread to other parts of the world through emigration, but its German heritage remains a significant part of its etymology and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Linse
Among Census respondents with the surname Linse, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Linse 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 Linse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 496
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 25
- Two or more races2.9% · 16
- Black or African American0.9% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Linse
Linse 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
#38,801
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 569
+20 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 815 places
2020
#42,735
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 546
-23 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.18
Rank movement Down 3,934 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #37,986 | 549 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #38,801 | 569 | 0.19 | +20 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 815 places |
| 2020 | #42,735 | 546 | 0.18 | -23 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 3,934 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 Linse 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 | #38,801 | #42,735 | -10.1% |
| Count | 569 | 546 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.18 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Linse bearers went from 569 to 546 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 3,934 positions in the national ranking, going from #38,801 to #42,735.
FAQ
Linse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Linse?
Name Census estimates that about 626 living Americans carry the surname Linse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 547,531 residents.
How common is Linse?
Linse ranks #42,735 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.18 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 546 people with the surname Linse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (626), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.18 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 Linse.
Has Linse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Linse went from 569 recorded bearers to 546. That is a decrease of 23 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #38,801 to #42,735.
What does the Census say about the background of Linse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Linse, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Linse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (496 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Linse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Linse (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 Linse mean?
A surname derived from the German word for "lentil," possibly relating to cultivation or trade. 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 Linse (0.18 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 Linse?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Linse at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.