2000
#64,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 291
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Mildenberger
A German habitational surname for someone living near a mild or gentle hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 447 Americans carry the last name Mildenberger. That puts it at #56,551 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 766,788 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mildenberger 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
447
1 in 766,788
Census rank
#56,551
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
390
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 390 bearers of the surname Mildenberger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 56551st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mildenberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mildenberger
The surname MILDENBERGER is of German origin, originating in the Middle Ages. It is a locational name derived from the place name "Mildenberg," which means "mild" or "gentle" and "hill" or "mountain" in German. This surname likely originated from a person who lived near a gentle hill or mountain range.
The earliest recorded instances of this surname date back to the 14th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. In historical records, the name was sometimes spelled differently, such as Mildenberger, Mildenperg, or Myldenberch, reflecting local dialects and variations in spelling conventions at the time.
One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Hans Mildenberger, a merchant born in Nuremberg, Germany, around 1420. He was documented in trade records from the city's archives, indicating his involvement in the lucrative textile trade during the Renaissance era.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with this surname was Christoph Mildenberger (1510-1578), a German lawyer and legal scholar from Saxony. He authored several influential works on civil and canon law, which were widely studied in academic circles of the time.
During the 17th century, Johann Mildenberger (1622-1694) was a prominent German theologian and Protestant minister from Württemberg. He served as a pastor in various churches and published several religious treatises that reflected the theological debates of the Reformation period.
In the 18th century, the name Mildenberger was associated with the town of Mildenberg, located in the Brandenburg region of Germany. This town's name likely contributed to the surname's popularity in the area during this period.
Another notable individual with this surname was Karl Mildenberger (1848-1922), a German architect from Saxony. He designed several notable buildings in Dresden and other cities, and his work was influential in the architectural styles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Throughout its history, the surname MILDENBERGER has been carried by individuals from various professions and backgrounds, reflecting the diverse experiences and contributions of those who bear this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mildenberger
Among Census respondents with the surname Mildenberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Mildenberger 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 Mildenberger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 356
- Two or more races5.1% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.5% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mildenberger
Mildenberger 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
-160 bearers (-55.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 65,817 places
2020
#56,551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 390
+259 bearers (+197.7%)
Per 100,000 0.13
Rank movement Up 73,274 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #64,008 | 291 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | -160 bearers (-55.0%) | Down 65,817 places |
| 2020 | #56,551 | 390 | 0.13 | +259 bearers (+197.7%) | Up 73,274 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 Mildenberger 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 | #129,825 | #56,551 | 56.4% |
| Count | 131 | 390 | 197.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.13 | 226.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mildenberger bearers went from 131 to 390 (+197.7% change). The surname moved up 73,274 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #56,551.
FAQ
Mildenberger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mildenberger?
Name Census estimates that about 447 living Americans carry the surname Mildenberger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 766,788 residents.
How common is Mildenberger?
Mildenberger ranks #56,551 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.13 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 390 people with the surname Mildenberger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (447), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.13 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 Mildenberger.
Has Mildenberger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mildenberger went from 131 recorded bearers to 390. That is an increase of 259 (+197.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #129,825 to #56,551.
What does the Census say about the background of Mildenberger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mildenberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (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 Mildenberger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (356 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mildenberger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Hispanic (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 Mildenberger (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 Mildenberger mean?
A German habitational surname for someone living near a mild or gentle hill. 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 Mildenberger (0.13 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 Mildenberger?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.