2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lonabaugh
Americanized surname of German origin meaning "from the curve or bend".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Lonabaugh. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lonabaugh 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Lonabaugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lonabaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lonabaugh
The surname LONABAUGH is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period. The earliest known records show the name was primarily concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. It is thought to be derived from the Old German words "lona," meaning a meadow or pasture, and "baugh," referring to a hill or raised ground.
One of the earliest documented instances of the LONABAUGH name appears in the Rothenburg Imperial City Archives, dating back to 1389. Here, a record mentions a landholder named Hans Lonabaugh who owned a small farm near the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
In the 15th century, the LONABAUGH name can be found in several church records from the village of Laubach in Hesse, Germany. A notable figure from this time was Johannes Lonabaugh, a respected blacksmith born in 1472 and known for his intricate metalwork on local churches.
As the centuries progressed, the LONABAUGH name spread across various German states and regions. In the 1600s, a family of LONABAUGHs settled in the town of Freiburg im Breisgau, where they established a successful business in the textile trade. One of their descendants, Wilhelm Lonabaugh (1704-1782), became a respected merchant and held a prominent position in the local guild.
During the 19th century, many LONABAUGHs emigrated from Germany to countries like the United States and Canada in search of new opportunities. One such individual was Karl Lonabaugh (1825-1901), who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1848 and later served as a Union soldier during the American Civil War.
Another notable figure was Amalia Lonabaugh (1867-1942), a German-born activist who advocated for women's rights and suffrage after moving to New York City in the late 1800s. Her efforts contributed to the eventual passage of the 19th Amendment, which granted American women the right to vote.
Throughout its history, the LONABAUGH surname has maintained a connection to its German roots, with variations in spelling including Lonabach, Lonnebach, and Lonnebacher emerging over time. While not a particularly common name, the LONABAUGHs have left their mark across various fields, from craftsmanship and commerce to military service and social advocacy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lonabaugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Lonabaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lonabaugh 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 Lonabaugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lonabaugh
Lonabaugh 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+22 bearers (+21.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,651 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-17 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,046 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +22 bearers (+21.6%) | Up 12,651 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 16,046 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 Lonabaugh 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 | #135,593 | #151,639 | -11.8% |
| Count | 124 | 107 | -13.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lonabaugh bearers went from 124 to 107 (-13.7% change). The surname moved down 16,046 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #151,639.
FAQ
Lonabaugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lonabaugh?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Lonabaugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Lonabaugh?
Lonabaugh ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Lonabaugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Lonabaugh.
Has Lonabaugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lonabaugh went from 124 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Lonabaugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lonabaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Lonabaugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lonabaugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Lonabaugh (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 Lonabaugh mean?
Americanized surname of German origin meaning "from the curve or bend". 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 Lonabaugh (0.04 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 are called Lonabaugh?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Lonabaugh? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.