2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Sultzbaugh
A surname of German origin derived from a location name meaning "salt brook".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Sultzbaugh. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sultzbaugh 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Sultzbaugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sultzbaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sultzbaugh
The surname Sultzbaugh is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, where it was initially spelled as "Sultzbach" or variations thereof.
The name Sultzbaugh is derived from the German words "Sulz" and "Bach," which translate to "brine" and "stream" respectively. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a location near a saltwater stream or a place where brine was produced or processed.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sultzbaugh can be found in a 15th-century manuscript from the town of Sulzbach, located in the district of Amberg-Sulzbach, in the modern-day German state of Bavaria. The document mentions a family with the surname Sultzbach, which is believed to be an earlier spelling of Sultzbaugh.
In the 16th century, the name Sultzbaugh began to appear in various historical records across Germany. One notable figure was Hans Sultzbaugh, a merchant who lived in the city of Nuremberg between 1520 and 1587. His trade activities and correspondence with other merchants of the time provide valuable insights into the commercial and cultural life of the era.
Another prominent individual bearing the Sultzbaugh name was Johann Sultzbaugh, a Lutheran pastor and theologian who lived from 1592 to 1668. He served as the rector of the Gymnasium in Amberg and was known for his scholarly works on theology and philosophy.
In the 18th century, the Sultzbaugh family had established itself in various parts of Germany, with some members migrating to other regions of Europe and even to the Americas. One such individual was Friedrich Sultzbaugh, born in 1725 in the town of Sulzbach-Rosenberg, Bavaria. He later moved to the United States and settled in Pennsylvania, where he became a successful farmer and landowner.
Another notable figure from this period was Anna Sultzbaugh, who lived from 1758 to 1832 in the town of Kirchberg, Bavaria. She was renowned for her skill in embroidery and lace-making, and her works were highly sought after by the local nobility and gentry.
As the centuries passed, the Sultzbaugh surname continued to be found in various regions of Germany, as well as in other countries where German immigrants had settled. While the spelling may have evolved slightly over time, the name's origins and connection to the historic town of Sulzbach in Bavaria remain firmly rooted in its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sultzbaugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Sultzbaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sultzbaugh 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 Sultzbaugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.5% · 108
- Two or more races5.1% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sultzbaugh
Sultzbaugh 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
-2 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,049 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-5 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,062 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 10,049 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.1%) | Down 7,062 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 Sultzbaugh 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 | #136,449 | #143,511 | -5.2% |
| Count | 123 | 118 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sultzbaugh bearers went from 123 to 118 (-4.1% change). The surname moved down 7,062 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #143,511.
FAQ
Sultzbaugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sultzbaugh?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Sultzbaugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Sultzbaugh?
Sultzbaugh ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Sultzbaugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Sultzbaugh.
Has Sultzbaugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sultzbaugh went from 123 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Sultzbaugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sultzbaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) 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 Sultzbaugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.5% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sultzbaugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.5%), Two or More Races (5.1%), 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 Sultzbaugh (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 Sultzbaugh mean?
A surname of German origin derived from a location name meaning "salt brook". 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 Sultzbaugh (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 last name Sultzbaugh?
Find out how many people have the surname Sultzbaugh on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.