2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Tenberg
A topographic surname derived from words meaning "mountain ridge".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Tenberg. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tenberg 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Tenberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tenberg
The surname Tenberg originated in the Swedish province of Smaland during the 16th century. It is derived from the Old Norse words "tun" meaning a fenced enclosure or farmstead, and "berg" meaning hill or mountain. This suggests that the name likely referred to a farm or settlement located on or near a hill.
The earliest recorded mention of the Tenberg name dates back to 1587, when a farmer named Johan Tenberg was listed in the parish records of Almundsryd, a village in Smaland. In the 17th century, the name appears in various Swedish military records, indicating that members of the Tenberg family served as soldiers during the Swedish Empire's military campaigns.
One notable Tenberg was Anders Tenberg, a Swedish military officer who fought in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). He was born in 1602 and served under King Gustavus Adolphus, participating in several major battles including the Battle of Breitenfeld in 1631.
In the 18th century, the Tenberg name can be found in the records of several Swedish universities, suggesting that some members of the family pursued higher education during this period. One such individual was Carl Tenberg, a philosopher and professor at Uppsala University, who lived from 1720 to 1795.
As the Tenberg family spread throughout Sweden, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, including Tenberger, Tennberg, and Tennberger. Some Tenbergs also adopted the name as a middle name or combined it with other surnames, leading to variations like Bergentenberg and Tenbergson.
One of the most notable figures with the Tenberg surname was Carl Gustaf Tenberg, a Swedish explorer and naturalist who lived from 1817 to 1891. He led several scientific expeditions to South America and published works on the flora and fauna of the region.
Other historical figures with the Tenberg surname include Johan Tenberg, a Swedish architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the late 19th century, and Axel Tenberg, a Swedish writer and journalist who was active in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tenberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Tenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Tenberg 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 Tenberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 5
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tenberg
Tenberg 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+3 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,733 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-23 bearers (-17.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,158 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 5,733 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-17.4%) | Down 21,158 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 Tenberg 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 | #129,047 | #150,205 | -16.4% |
| Count | 132 | 109 | -17.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tenberg bearers went from 132 to 109 (-17.4% change). The surname moved down 21,158 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #150,205.
FAQ
Tenberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tenberg?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Tenberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Tenberg?
Tenberg ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Tenberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Tenberg.
Has Tenberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tenberg went from 132 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 23 (-17.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Tenberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Tenberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tenberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Tenberg (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 Tenberg mean?
A topographic surname derived from words meaning "mountain ridge". 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 Tenberg (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 Tenberg?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Tenberg? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.