2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Theilig
A German surname derived from the word "heilig" meaning holy or sacred.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Theilig. 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 Theilig 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 Theilig 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 Theilig, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Theilig
The surname THEILIG is of German origin, with roots tracing back to the late medieval period. It likely emerged as a locational name, derived from a specific place or region where the earliest bearers resided. One potential source is the town of Theilheim in the German state of Bavaria, which could have given rise to the surname through a descriptive or locative suffix added to the place name.
Early records indicate that the name was present in various parts of central and southern Germany during the 15th and 16th centuries. It may have originated from an older Germanic word or phrase, although the exact etymology is uncertain. Variants in spelling, such as Theillig or Theylig, were also documented in historical documents from that era.
One of the earliest known references to the THEILIG surname can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the city of Nürnberg, where a Johann Theilig is mentioned in an entry dated 1487. These types of ecclesiastical records were crucial in documenting names, births, marriages, and deaths during that time.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the THEILIG name was Hans Theilig, a master craftsman and woodcarver who lived in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber between 1620 and 1689. His intricate woodwork can still be admired in the town's historic buildings and churches.
Another individual of note was Johann Christian Theilig, a Lutheran theologian and author who was born in Saxony in 1718 and passed away in 1784. He wrote several influential treatises on religious topics and served as a pastor in various parishes throughout his career.
During the 19th century, a prominent bearer of the THEILIG surname was Wilhelm Theilig, a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded a successful textile manufacturing company in the city of Chemnitz in 1856. His business ventures contributed significantly to the region's economic growth and development.
Additionally, the name THEILIG appears in connection with various place names and locations throughout Germany, such as Theiligengereuth, a small village in the state of Thuringia, and Theiligsfeld, a quarter within the city of Gießen in Hesse. These place names may have influenced the spread and diversity of the surname over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Theilig
Among Census respondents with the surname Theilig, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Theilig 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 Theilig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 7
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Theilig
Theilig 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-9 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,272 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-11 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,962 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 17,272 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 8,962 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 Theilig 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 | #145,220 | #154,182 | -6.2% |
| Count | 114 | 103 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Theilig bearers went from 114 to 103 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 8,962 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #154,182.
FAQ
Theilig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Theilig?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Theilig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Theilig?
Theilig 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 Theilig. 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 Theilig.
Has Theilig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Theilig went from 114 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Theilig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Theilig, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Theilig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Theilig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Hispanic (6.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Theilig (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 Theilig mean?
A German surname derived from the word "heilig" meaning holy or sacred. 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 Theilig (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 Americans have the surname Theilig?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.