2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Porting
An occupational surname referring to someone from a port or harbor area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Porting. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Porting 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Porting in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Porting, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Porting
The surname "PORTING" is an anglicized version of a German name that originated in the region of Bavaria, Germany. The name is believed to have roots dating back to the 13th century, derived from the Old German word "porten," which referred to a town gate or portal.
In medieval times, many families took on surnames related to their occupations, and it is likely that the earliest bearers of this name were gatekeepers or those responsible for maintaining and guarding the town gates. The name may have originally been spelled as "Portner" or "Portener" before evolving into its current form.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Bavarian town records of Augsburg, where a "Hans Portner" is mentioned as a resident in the year 1382. Another early record comes from the city of Nuremberg, where a "Cuntz Portener" is listed in the municipal archives from 1407.
As the name spread beyond Bavaria, variations in spelling emerged, including "Porting," "Portinge," and "Portingk." In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was Johann Porting (1492-1557), a German theologian and reformer who played a role in the Protestant Reformation.
In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the Dutch East India Company, with a "Pieter Porting" listed as a sailor who embarked on a voyage to the East Indies in 1642. This suggests that the name had spread to the Netherlands by this time.
Moving into the 18th century, a prominent figure bearing the surname was Friedrich Porting (1701-1783), a German architect and master builder who was responsible for the construction of several notable buildings in the city of Dresden.
In the 19th century, the name can be found in various parts of Europe, including a "Johann Porting" (1823-1892), a Swiss watchmaker and inventor who patented several improvements in timepiece mechanisms.
As the name spread to other parts of the world, it underwent further variations in spelling and pronunciation. For instance, in the United States, the name is sometimes rendered as "Porting" or "Portinge," reflecting the influence of different regional accents and linguistic adaptations.
Throughout its history, the surname "PORTING" has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artisans, scholars, sailors, and professionals. While not a particularly common name, it has left its mark on the historical record, reflecting the diverse journeys and contributions of its bearers across centuries and continents.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Porting
Among Census respondents with the surname Porting, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Porting 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 Porting surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 97
- Two or more races3.9% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Porting
Porting 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 10,139 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,052 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 10,139 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 3,052 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 Porting 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 | #157,234 | #154,182 | 1.9% |
| Count | 103 | 103 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Porting bearers went from 103 to 103 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 3,052 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #154,182.
FAQ
Porting surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Porting?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Porting. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Porting?
Porting ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Porting. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Porting.
Has Porting become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Porting went from 103 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Porting?
Among Census respondents with the surname Porting, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Porting in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Porting appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Porting (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 Porting mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone from a port or harbor area. 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 Porting (0.03 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 Porting?
Want to know how many people are called Porting? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.