2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Temte
An occupational surname derived from the Old Norse word "temja," meaning to tame or domesticate animals.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Temte. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Temte 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Temte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Temte, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Temte
The surname Temte is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the northern regions of the country. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 16th century, and it is thought to be derived from the Low German word "temtem," which means "tame" or "domesticated."
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Temte, a farmer who lived in the village of Mecklenburg in the late 1500s. Records from this time period indicate that the surname was also spelled as "Temten" or "Tempthen" in some regions.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Temte name began to spread across northern Germany, with families settling in areas such as Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and Brandenburg. Some historical documents from this era, including church records and land registries, mention individuals with the surname Temte.
In the 19th century, the Temte name gained further prominence with the birth of Gustav Temte (1832-1901), a German writer and journalist who was known for his contributions to the literary and cultural scene of his time. Another notable figure was Wilhelm Temte (1856-1932), a German architect and urban planner who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin and other cities.
As German immigrants began to settle in other parts of the world, the Temte surname also found its way to different countries. For instance, in the United States, there are records of Temte families arriving in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, establishing roots in states such as Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois.
Other notable individuals with the Temte surname include Heinz Temte (1898-1972), a German painter and graphic artist who was part of the Expressionist movement, and Joachim Temte (born 1940), a German-American mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of graph theory.
While the Temte name may not be as widespread as some other German surnames, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, from farmers and artisans to writers, architects, and academics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Temte
Among Census respondents with the surname Temte, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Temte 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 Temte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 101
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Temte
Temte 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+11 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,453 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-10 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,361 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 1,453 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 10,361 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 Temte 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 | #138,304 | #148,665 | -7.5% |
| Count | 121 | 111 | -8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Temte bearers went from 121 to 111 (-8.3% change). The surname moved down 10,361 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #148,665.
FAQ
Temte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Temte?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Temte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Temte?
Temte ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Temte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Temte.
Has Temte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Temte went from 121 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Temte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Temte, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Temte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Temte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Temte (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 Temte mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Old Norse word "temja," meaning to tame or domesticate animals. 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 Temte (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 Temte?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Temte is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.