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

Longenecker, 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 Longenecker surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Longenecker in America

Longenecker is the 11709th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Longenecker surname appeared 2,677 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 Longenecker.

We can also compare 2010 data for Longenecker 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 Longenecker

The surname Longenecker is of German origin, and it is believed to have originated in the 16th century. The name is derived from the German words "lang" meaning long and "ecker" meaning field or acre. It is thought to have been an occupational name given to someone who worked on a long field or farmed a particularly elongated plot of land.

The earliest recorded instances of the Longenecker name can be found in various German church records from the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable early reference is in the baptismal records of St. Peter's Church in Solingen, Germany, where a Hans Longenecker is mentioned in 1587.

In the 18th century, many Longeneckers immigrated to the United States, particularly to Pennsylvania, where they settled in areas like Lancaster County and Berks County. One of the earliest Longeneckers in America was Jacob Longenecker, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1733.

Over the centuries, the Longenecker surname has been spelled in various ways, including Longnecker, Langnecker, and Longeniker. Some of these variations may have been influenced by regional dialects or changes in pronunciation over time.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the Longenecker surname. One of the earliest was Christian Longenecker (1709-1786), a prominent Mennonite minister and farmer in Pennsylvania. Another was Jacob Longenecker (1837-1903), a Union Army soldier during the American Civil War and later a member of the Pennsylvania State Legislature.

Other notable Longeneckers include Justin W. Longenecker (1854-1934), a successful businessman and banker in Pennsylvania, and Nellie Longenecker (1870-1965), an American teacher and author of children's books. More recently, there was Ralph N. Longenecker (1920-2004), a New Testament scholar and author of several books on the life and teachings of the Apostle Paul.

While the Longenecker name may have originated as an occupational surname in Germany, it has since become well-established in various parts of the world, particularly in North America, where many descendants of the early German immigrants have made significant contributions to their communities and professions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Longenecker

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

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 Longenecker 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 Longenecker 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 Longenecker was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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