2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Poellinger
A German locational surname referring to someone from a place called Pollingen or Pellingen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Poellinger. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Poellinger 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Poellinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Poellinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Poellinger
The surname Poellinger is of German origin and can be traced back to the 16th century in the regions of Bavaria and Austria. It is derived from the German word "Poelle," meaning "pool" or "pond," and the suffix "-inger," which denotes a place of origin or residence. This suggests that the name may have originated from someone who lived near a pool or pond.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Poellinger can be found in the Augsburg Church records from 1561, where a Johann Poellinger is mentioned. In the 17th century, the name appears in various documents from the regions of Salzburg and Upper Austria, such as tax records and land registers.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Poellinger name became more widespread throughout Germany and neighboring countries. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Johann Georg Poellinger (1728-1805), a German theologian and author from Nuremberg, and Friedrich Poellinger (1810-1876), a Bavarian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Frankfurt Parliament in 1848.
Other notable Poellingers include Karl Poellinger (1865-1934), an Austrian architect known for his work on various buildings in Vienna, and Hans Poellinger (1903-1971), a German businessman and industrialist who played a significant role in the post-World War II reconstruction efforts in Germany.
In the 20th century, the Poellinger name continued to be found across Germany, Austria, and other parts of Europe. One notable figure was Theodor Poellinger (1919-2003), a German writer and poet who received several literary awards for his works exploring themes of nature and the human condition.
While there may be variations in spelling, such as Pöllinger or Poelinger, the Poellinger surname has maintained a strong presence in its regions of origin, carrying with it a connection to the German language and the historical regions of Bavaria and Austria.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Poellinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Poellinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Poellinger 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 Poellinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 111
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Poellinger
Poellinger 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+7 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,453 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-4 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,597 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 2,453 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 6,597 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 Poellinger 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 | #134,712 | #141,309 | -4.9% |
| Count | 125 | 121 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Poellinger bearers went from 125 to 121 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 6,597 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #141,309.
FAQ
Poellinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Poellinger?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Poellinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Poellinger?
Poellinger ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Poellinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Poellinger.
Has Poellinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Poellinger went from 125 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Poellinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Poellinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Poellinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Poellinger 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 (5.0%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Poellinger (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 Poellinger mean?
A German locational surname referring to someone from a place called Pollingen or Pellingen. 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 Poellinger (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 are called Poellinger?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Poellinger? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.