2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Trenkler
A German surname derived from the term "tränke" meaning "watering place" or "drinking trough".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Trenkler. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trenkler 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Trenkler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trenkler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trenkler
The surname Trenkler has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "trenk," which means a watering trough or a drinking vessel. This suggests that the name may have been associated with trade or craftsmen who made these vessels.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Trenkler can be found in the Bavarian town of Augsburg, where a family by the name was documented in the city's records in the late 1500s. The name also appears in various church records and tax rolls from the region during that time period.
In the 17th century, the Trenkler name spread to other parts of Germany, with records showing families in cities like Leipzig and Hamburg. Some variations in spelling, such as Trenckler and Trencler, can also be found in historical documents from this era.
One notable individual with the Trenkler surname was Johann Trenkler, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1670 to 1735. He was a prominent figure in the Lutheran Church and served as a professor at the University of Leipzig.
Another important figure was Wilhelm Trenkler, a German architect who lived from 1820 to 1892. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Reichstag and the Berlin Cathedral.
In the 19th century, the Trenkler name also found its way to other parts of Europe, with records showing families settling in countries like Austria and Switzerland. One notable individual from this era was Franz Trenkler, an Austrian artist who lived from 1825 to 1898 and was known for his landscape paintings.
As the Trenkler family spread across Europe, the name also took on various regional variations in spelling, such as Trenckler in Austria and Trenkler in Switzerland. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in its German heritage.
While the Trenkler surname may not be as common today as it once was, it continues to hold a rich history and cultural significance, particularly in the regions where it first emerged and evolved over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trenkler
Among Census respondents with the surname Trenkler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Trenkler 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 Trenkler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trenkler
Trenkler 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+18 bearers (+16.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,362 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-14 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,378 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+16.2%) | Up 7,362 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 14,378 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 Trenkler 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 | #131,379 | #145,757 | -10.9% |
| Count | 129 | 115 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trenkler bearers went from 129 to 115 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 14,378 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #145,757.
FAQ
Trenkler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trenkler?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Trenkler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Trenkler?
Trenkler ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Trenkler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Trenkler.
Has Trenkler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trenkler went from 129 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Trenkler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trenkler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Trenkler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trenkler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (3.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Trenkler (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 Trenkler mean?
A German surname derived from the term "tränke" meaning "watering place" or "drinking trough". 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 Trenkler (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 are called Trenkler?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Trenkler at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.