2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Thieling
Of German origin, referring to a tiler or roof tiler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Thieling. 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 Thieling 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 Thieling 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 Thieling, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thieling
The surname Thieling has its origins in Germany, with roots that can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from an occupational name, referring to someone who worked as a tiler or roofer. The name is derived from the Old German word "thiel," which means tile or roof tile.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thieling can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, dating back to the 14th century. In a document from 1378, a certain "Hans Thieling" is mentioned as a resident of the city. This suggests that the name was already established in the region during that time period.
In the 16th century, the name Thieling appeared in various historical records across different parts of Germany. For example, in 1523, a "Peter Thieling" is listed as a landowner in the town of Wittenberg, which was a significant center of the Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther.
The name Thieling also has ties to various place names and locations throughout Germany. One notable example is the village of Thielingen, located in the state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is possible that the surname Thieling may have originated from or been influenced by this place name.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Thieling. One such person was Johann Thieling (1564-1638), a German Protestant theologian and minister who served as the court preacher to the Dukes of Saxony-Weimar.
Another notable figure was Heinrich Thieling (1835-1904), a German architect and writer who was known for his work on numerous churches and public buildings in the city of Berlin during the late 19th century.
In the field of literature, Johannes Thieling (1893-1976) was a German poet and writer who gained recognition for his works exploring themes of nature and rural life.
Additionally, the name Thieling has been associated with the world of sports. Karl Thieling (1916-1996) was a German football player who represented Germany in the 1938 FIFA World Cup.
Lastly, Dieter Thieling (1923-2011) was a German politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union party, who served as a member of the Bundestag, the German federal parliament, from 1965 to 1987.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thieling
Among Census respondents with the surname Thieling, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Thieling 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 Thieling surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 98
- Two or more races8.0% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thieling
Thieling 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
#124,548
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 138
+11 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 324 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-25 bearers (-18.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,673 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #124,548 | 138 | 0.05 | +11 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 324 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-18.1%) | Down 22,673 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 Thieling 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 | #124,548 | #147,221 | -18.2% |
| Count | 138 | 113 | -18.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -24.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thieling bearers went from 138 to 113 (-18.1% change). The surname moved down 22,673 positions in the national ranking, going from #124,548 to #147,221.
FAQ
Thieling surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thieling?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Thieling. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Thieling?
Thieling 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 Thieling. 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 Thieling.
Has Thieling become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thieling went from 138 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 25 (-18.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #124,548 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Thieling?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thieling, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Thieling in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thieling appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Two or More Races (8.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Thieling (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 Thieling mean?
Of German origin, referring to a tiler or roof tiler. 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 Thieling (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 Thieling?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.