2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Trinkl
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a place where water was drawn.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Trinkl. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trinkl 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Trinkl in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trinkl, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trinkl
The surname Trinkl originates from the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in the areas of modern-day Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. It likely emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
The name is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "trinken," which translates to "to drink." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone associated with the production or distribution of alcoholic beverages, such as a brewer, tavern keeper, or wine merchant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Weingarten Monastery records from the 14th century, where a certain Hainrich Trinkl was mentioned as a resident of the village of Weingarten in the region of Swabia, located in modern-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
In the 16th century, historical records from the city of Nürnberg (Nuremberg) in Bavaria, Germany, mention a Jörg Trinkl, who was a respected goldsmith and member of the local guild. His craftsmanship and contributions to the city's artistic heritage were noteworthy during that time.
The surname Trinkl has also been associated with various place names throughout German-speaking regions. For instance, the village of Trinkhausen in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany, which dates back to the 13th century, may have derived its name from the Trinkl family or their occupation.
Notable individuals with the surname Trinkl include Johann Trinkl (1662-1732), an Austrian composer and organist who served at the Salzburg Cathedral during the Baroque period. His compositions for organ and sacred choral works were highly regarded in his time.
Another prominent figure was Hans Trinkl (1884-1948), an Austrian painter and illustrator renowned for his landscape paintings and illustrations of fairy tales and folk stories. His works captured the essence of the Austrian countryside and were widely popular in the early 20th century.
In more recent times, Günther Trinkl (1912-1990) was an Austrian engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the field of hydraulics and pneumatics. His innovations in fluid power technology were widely adopted in various industries.
While the surname Trinkl is not among the most common in German-speaking regions, it has a rich history and can be traced back to the medieval era, reflecting the cultural and occupational traditions of those times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trinkl
Among Census respondents with the surname Trinkl, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Trinkl 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 Trinkl surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 6
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 4
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trinkl
Trinkl 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+6 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,346 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-20 bearers (-16.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,277 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 3,346 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-16.0%) | Down 18,277 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 Trinkl 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 | #134,712 | #152,989 | -13.6% |
| Count | 125 | 105 | -16.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trinkl bearers went from 125 to 105 (-16.0% change). The surname moved down 18,277 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #152,989.
FAQ
Trinkl surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trinkl?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Trinkl. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Trinkl?
Trinkl ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Trinkl. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Trinkl.
Has Trinkl become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trinkl went from 125 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 20 (-16.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Trinkl?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trinkl, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Trinkl in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trinkl appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Trinkl (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 Trinkl mean?
A locational surname referring to someone who lived near a place where water was drawn. 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 Trinkl (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 Trinkl?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.