2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Tollinger
A topographic name derived from Middle German and referring to someone who lived near a hill or slope.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Tollinger. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tollinger 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Tollinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tollinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tollinger
The surname Tollinger originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Austria. It is believed to have derived from the Old Germanic word "tollin," meaning "to roar" or "to make a loud noise." This suggests that the name might have initially referred to someone who lived near a waterfall, river, or any other place where there was a constant, loud noise.
The earliest recorded instances of the Tollinger surname can be traced back to the 13th century. In the Bavarian town of Straubing, a document from 1287 mentions a certain "Konrad Tollinger," who was a local landowner. Another historical reference comes from the archives of the city of Regensburg, where a "Hans Tollinger" is listed as a member of the town council in 1349.
During the Middle Ages, the Tollinger name appeared in various medieval records and manuscripts, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, which contains charters and documents from the Saxon region of Germany. This suggests that the name had spread beyond its original areas of origin by that time.
One of the earliest known places associated with the Tollinger name is the small village of Tolling, located in the Upper Palatinate region of Bavaria. It is possible that the surname originated from this place name, which itself may have derived from the aforementioned Old Germanic word "tollin."
Notable individuals with the Tollinger surname throughout history include:
1. Johannes Tollinger (1532-1611), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Bavaria.
2. Maria Tollinger (1679-1742), an Austrian painter and one of the few female artists of her time to achieve recognition for her work.
3. Franz Tollinger (1813-1891), an Austrian architect who designed several notable buildings in Vienna, including the Votivkirche.
4. Max Tollinger (1886-1963), a German-born American artist known for his landscape paintings and illustrations.
5. Gerhard Tollinger (born 1939), an Austrian historian and academic who has written extensively on the history of the Habsburg Empire.
While the Tollinger surname is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich and fascinating history that spans several centuries and can be traced back to the medieval period in southern Germany and Austria.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tollinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Tollinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Tollinger 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 Tollinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tollinger
Tollinger 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,325 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,162 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 5,325 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,162 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 Tollinger 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 | #142,108 | #144,270 | -1.5% |
| Count | 117 | 117 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tollinger bearers went from 117 to 117 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 2,162 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #144,270.
FAQ
Tollinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tollinger?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Tollinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Tollinger?
Tollinger ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Tollinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Tollinger.
Has Tollinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tollinger went from 117 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Tollinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tollinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Tollinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tollinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Hispanic (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Tollinger (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 Tollinger mean?
A topographic name derived from Middle German and referring to someone who lived near a hill or slope. 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 Tollinger (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 Americans have the surname Tollinger?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.