2000
#77,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 230
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Lunzer
A German surname derived from the word "Lunzer," referring to someone from Lunz, Austria.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 295 Americans carry the last name Lunzer. That puts it at #79,808 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,161,879 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lunzer 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
295
1 in 1,161,879
Census rank
#79,808
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
257
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 257 bearers of the surname Lunzer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 79808th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lunzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.6%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lunzer
The surname Lunzer is of Germanic origin, specifically originating from the German-speaking regions of Europe. It is believed to have emerged as a locational surname, derived from a place name.
One theory suggests that the name is derived from the Old High German word "lunz," which means "forest clearing" or "glade." This could indicate that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or worked in a forest clearing. Alternatively, it may have originated from a place name containing the word "lunz," although the specific location is unclear.
Another possible origin of the name is a connection to the German city of Lüneburg or the nearby region of Lüneburg Heath. This area was historically known for its salt mining and trading, and the name Lunzer may have been associated with individuals involved in this industry or residing in the region.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Lunzer can be traced back to the 16th and 17th centuries in various German-speaking regions. One notable example is Johann Lunzer (1554-1622), a German theologian and author from Saxony.
In the 18th century, the name appears in records from Austria, with Johann Georg Lunzer (1718-1793), an Austrian physician and botanist. He is known for his contributions to the study of plant life in the Austrian Alps.
Moving into the 19th century, the surname Lunzer is associated with several notable figures, including Johann Theodor Lunzer (1806-1883), an Austrian priest and theologian, and Emil Lunzer (1857-1926), an Austrian architect and designer who worked on several notable buildings in Vienna.
In the 20th century, one of the most prominent individuals with this surname was the Austrian-American mathematician and logician Kurt Gödel (1906-1978), whose mother's maiden name was Lunzer. Gödel is renowned for his groundbreaking work in mathematical logic and his incompleteness theorems, which had a profound impact on various fields, including computer science and artificial intelligence.
Other individuals with the surname Lunzer include the Austrian writer and critic Rudolf Lunzer (1914-1989) and the American mathematician Robert Ives Lunzer (1907-1985), who made significant contributions to the field of numerical analysis.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lunzer
Among Census respondents with the surname Lunzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.6%) and Two or More Races (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lunzer 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 Lunzer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.7% · 251
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 4
- Two or more races0.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lunzer
Lunzer 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
#75,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 255
+25 bearers (+10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 1,908 places
2020
#79,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 257
+2 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 4,244 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #77,472 | 230 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #75,564 | 255 | 0.09 | +25 bearers (+10.9%) | Up 1,908 places |
| 2020 | #79,808 | 257 | 0.09 | +2 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 4,244 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 Lunzer 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 | #75,564 | #79,808 | -5.6% |
| Count | 255 | 257 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.09 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lunzer bearers went from 255 to 257 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 4,244 positions in the national ranking, going from #75,564 to #79,808.
FAQ
Lunzer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lunzer?
Name Census estimates that about 295 living Americans carry the surname Lunzer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,161,879 residents.
How common is Lunzer?
Lunzer ranks #79,808 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 257 people with the surname Lunzer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (295), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Lunzer.
Has Lunzer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lunzer went from 255 recorded bearers to 257. That is an increase of 2 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #75,564 to #79,808.
What does the Census say about the background of Lunzer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lunzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.6%) and Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Lunzer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.7% (251 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lunzer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.7%), Hispanic (1.6%), Two or More Races (0.8%). 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 Lunzer (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 Lunzer mean?
A German surname derived from the word "Lunzer," referring to someone from Lunz, Austria. 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 Lunzer (0.09 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 Americans have the surname Lunzer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.