2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ohrenberger
A German surname denoting a person from a place called Ohrenberg.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Ohrenberger. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ohrenberger 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Ohrenberger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ohrenberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ohrenberger
The surname Ohrenberger is of German origin, originating in the medieval era. It is derived from the German word "Ohrenberg," which translates to "ear mountain" or "ear hill." This suggests that the name may have originated from a place name or geographic feature related to a hill or mountain with an ear-like shape.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ohrenberger can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the Middle Ages. In the year 1287, a person named Johannes Ohrenberger is mentioned as a witness in a legal document from the region of Bavaria.
The name Ohrenberger appears to have been particularly prevalent in the southern regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, where various families bearing this surname can be traced back to the 15th and 16th centuries. Historical records from these regions often mention variations in spelling, including Ohrenberg, Orenberger, and Ohrnberger.
A notable individual with the surname Ohrenberger was Johann Gottfried Ohrenberger (1696-1768), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Jena. His writings on ethics and moral philosophy were widely influential during the Age of Enlightenment.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Ohrenberger family migrated to Austria, where they established themselves in the region of Styria. One member of this family, Karl Ohrenberger (1772-1847), was a prominent architect known for his work on several churches and public buildings in the city of Graz.
Another historical figure with the surname Ohrenberger was Friedrich Ohrenberger (1829-1901), a German painter and illustrator. He gained recognition for his landscape paintings depicting scenes from the Black Forest region, where he spent much of his life.
It is worth noting that the name Ohrenberger is relatively uncommon, and its historical occurrences are scattered across various regions of Germany and Austria. However, the name's origins and evolution reflect the rich cultural heritage and linguistic diversity of these areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ohrenberger
Among Census respondents with the surname Ohrenberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ohrenberger 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 Ohrenberger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 99
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ohrenberger
Ohrenberger 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
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-9 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 19,691 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+6 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,497 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | -9 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 19,691 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.9%) | Up 7,497 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 Ohrenberger 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 | #158,432 | #150,935 | 4.7% |
| Count | 102 | 108 | 5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ohrenberger bearers went from 102 to 108 (+5.9% change). The surname moved up 7,497 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #150,935.
FAQ
Ohrenberger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ohrenberger?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Ohrenberger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Ohrenberger?
Ohrenberger ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Ohrenberger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Ohrenberger.
Has Ohrenberger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ohrenberger went from 102 recorded bearers to 108. That is an increase of 6 (+5.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Ohrenberger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ohrenberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Ohrenberger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ohrenberger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Ohrenberger (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 Ohrenberger mean?
A German surname denoting a person from a place called Ohrenberg. 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 Ohrenberger (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 common is the surname Ohrenberger?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Ohrenberger, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.