2000
#6,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,832
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.79
Rare Last name
Livengood
A surname of German origin, likely referring to a person from Livonia or a descendant of Lewin the Good.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,837 Americans carry the last name Livengood. That puts it at #7,588 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,861 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Livengood 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
4.8K
1 in 70,861
Census rank
#7,588
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,218 bearers of the surname Livengood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7588th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Livengood, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Livengood
The surname Livengood originated in Germany during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old High German words "Leben" meaning "life" and "gut" meaning "good" or "property". The name likely referred to someone who lived a good life or was prosperous.
One of the earliest known references to the Livengood name dates back to the 15th century, appearing in church records from the town of Braunschweig in Lower Saxony. The name was spelled "Lebengudt" at the time, reflecting its German roots.
In the 16th century, the Livengood name began appearing in other parts of Germany, such as Bavaria and Württemberg. It was also found in areas of modern-day Switzerland and Austria, reflecting the migration patterns of German settlers during that time.
An early notable bearer of the Livengood name was Hans Lebengudt, a merchant who lived in Nuremberg, Germany in the late 15th century. Records indicate he was involved in the thriving trade networks of the era, dealing in goods such as spices and textiles.
Another prominent figure was Johann Livengood, a Lutheran pastor born in Augsburg, Germany in 1602. He was a vocal supporter of the Protestant Reformation and authored several theological works during his lifetime.
As German immigrants began settling in the Americas in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Livengood name made its way to the New World. One of the earliest recorded instances was Johannes Livengood, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1749 from the Palatinate region of Germany.
In the 19th century, the Livengood family established roots in various parts of the United States, particularly in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. Notable individuals from this era include William Livengood (1815-1894), a successful businessman and landowner in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and Samuel Livengood (1838-1915), a Union Army veteran who fought in the American Civil War.
Other historically significant figures bearing the Livengood name include Johann Christoph Livengood (1780-1855), a German poet and writer known for his works celebrating nature and rural life, and Elise Livengood (1864-1942), an American educator and advocate for women's rights who founded several schools in the Midwest.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Livengood
Among Census respondents with the surname Livengood, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Livengood 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 Livengood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 3,953
- Two or more races2.9% · 124
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 17
- Black or African American0.4% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Livengood
Livengood 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
#6,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,935
+103 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.67
Rank movement Down 351 places
2020
#7,588
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,218
-717 bearers (-14.5%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Down 755 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,482 | 4,832 | 1.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,833 | 4,935 | 1.67 | +103 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 351 places |
| 2020 | #7,588 | 4,218 | 1.41 | -717 bearers (-14.5%) | Down 755 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 Livengood 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 | #6,833 | #7,588 | -11.0% |
| Count | 4,935 | 4,218 | -14.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.67 | 1.41 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Livengood bearers went from 4,935 to 4,218 (-14.5% change). The surname moved down 755 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,833 to #7,588.
FAQ
Livengood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Livengood?
Name Census estimates that about 4,837 living Americans carry the surname Livengood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,861 residents.
How common is Livengood?
Livengood ranks #7,588 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.41 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 4,218 people with the surname Livengood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,837), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.41 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 Livengood.
Has Livengood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Livengood went from 4,935 recorded bearers to 4,218. That is a decrease of 717 (-14.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,833 to #7,588.
What does the Census say about the background of Livengood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Livengood, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Livengood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (3,953 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Livengood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Livengood (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 Livengood mean?
A surname of German origin, likely referring to a person from Livonia or a descendant of Lewin the Good. 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 Livengood (1.41 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 Livengood?
Find out how common the surname Livengood is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.