2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lovenguth
An occupational surname possibly derived from the German words "loh" meaning woods and "gut" meaning goods or property.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Lovenguth. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lovenguth 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Lovenguth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lovenguth, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lovenguth
The surname Lovenguth has its origins in Germany, and can be traced back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German words "loven" meaning "to praise" and "gut" meaning "goods" or "possessions." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who was known for praising or extolling the virtues of certain goods or possessions.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Lovenguth can be found in various historical documents from the German states, particularly in areas such as Bavaria and Saxony. For example, there are records of a Heinrich Lovenguth, a merchant from Nuremberg, who lived in the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, the name appears in several manuscripts and legal documents, often associated with individuals involved in trade or commerce. One notable reference is to a Johann Lovenguth, a merchant from Leipzig, who is mentioned in a trade agreement dated 1537.
As the name spread across different regions of Germany, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Lovengutt, Lofengut, and Lofenguth. These variations often reflected local dialects and regional pronunciation preferences.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Lovenguth was Hans Lovenguth, a German painter and engraver who lived in Nuremberg from around 1480 to 1555. His works were highly regarded and can still be found in various museums across Europe.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Lovenguth (1598-1673), a German mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics. He was born in Nuremberg and later served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.
In the 18th century, there was a Johann Michael Lovenguth (1722-1790), a German composer and organist who was highly regarded for his church music compositions. He spent much of his career serving as the organist at the St. Petri Church in Lübeck.
The name Lovenguth can also be found in various place names across Germany, such as Lovenguth Hill in the town of Weißenburg, Bavaria, and Lovenguth Street in the city of Leipzig. These place names likely derived from individuals or families bearing the surname who had historical connections to those locations.
By the 19th century, the Lovenguth surname had spread to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas, as German immigrants sought new opportunities abroad. However, the earliest records and historical references remain rooted in the German states, where the name originated and evolved over several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lovenguth
Among Census respondents with the surname Lovenguth, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lovenguth 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 Lovenguth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.2% · 108
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lovenguth
Lovenguth 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+13 bearers (+12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,484 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-11 bearers (-9.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,142 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.0%) | Up 3,484 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.1%) | Down 11,142 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 Lovenguth 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 | #138,304 | #149,446 | -8.1% |
| Count | 121 | 110 | -9.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lovenguth bearers went from 121 to 110 (-9.1% change). The surname moved down 11,142 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #149,446.
FAQ
Lovenguth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lovenguth?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Lovenguth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Lovenguth?
Lovenguth ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Lovenguth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Lovenguth.
Has Lovenguth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lovenguth went from 121 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Lovenguth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lovenguth, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Lovenguth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.2% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lovenguth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Lovenguth (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 Lovenguth mean?
An occupational surname possibly derived from the German words "loh" meaning woods and "gut" meaning goods or property. 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 Lovenguth (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 have the surname Lovenguth?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.