2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Salzbrenner
A locational surname for someone from a place involving salt production or burning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Salzbrenner. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salzbrenner 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Salzbrenner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salzbrenner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salzbrenner
The surname SALZBRENNER has its origins in Germany, originating sometime during the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance period, roughly between the 13th and 16th centuries. It is likely derived from a combination of the German words "Salz" meaning "salt" and "brenner" meaning "burner" or "one who burns". This suggests the name may have been an occupational surname referring to someone who was involved in the production or trade of salt, perhaps by burning brine or other methods.
One of the earliest known references to the SALZBRENNER name can be found in a document from the town of Mühlhausen, in the modern-day state of Thuringia, Germany, dating back to the year 1487. This record mentions a "Hans Salzbrenner" who was a member of the local salt merchant's guild. The name also appears in various tax and census records from towns and villages in the regions of Saxony and Bavaria throughout the 16th and 17th centuries.
In the late 18th century, a notable figure bearing the SALZBRENNER name was Johann Gottfried Salzbrenner (1729-1799), a German theologian and author who served as a Protestant pastor in the town of Eisleben, where he published several works on religious philosophy and scriptural interpretation.
During the 19th century, the SALZBRENNER name can be found in records from various parts of Germany, as well as in some areas of what is now Poland and the Czech Republic, likely due to migration and the shifting of borders in Central Europe over time.
One prominent individual with this surname was Carl Salzbrenner (1825-1899), a German composer and music teacher who was born in Erfurt and later served as the director of the Cologne Conservatory of Music. His compositions included works for piano, chamber ensembles, and choral pieces.
Another notable figure was the author and playwright Max Salzbrenner (1864-1943), who was born in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland) and wrote numerous plays, novels, and short stories that were popular in Germany during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While the SALZBRENNER name has its roots in Central Europe, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration, particularly to North America and other regions with significant German diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salzbrenner
Among Census respondents with the surname Salzbrenner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Salzbrenner 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 Salzbrenner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salzbrenner
Salzbrenner 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+4 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,150 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-11 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,628 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 5,150 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 11,628 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 Salzbrenner 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 | #135,593 | #147,221 | -8.6% |
| Count | 124 | 113 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salzbrenner bearers went from 124 to 113 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 11,628 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #147,221.
FAQ
Salzbrenner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salzbrenner?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Salzbrenner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Salzbrenner?
Salzbrenner ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Salzbrenner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Salzbrenner.
Has Salzbrenner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salzbrenner went from 124 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Salzbrenner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salzbrenner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Salzbrenner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salzbrenner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Salzbrenner (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 Salzbrenner mean?
A locational surname for someone from a place involving salt production or burning. 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 Salzbrenner (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 have the surname Salzbrenner?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.