2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Uhlar
A topographic surname relating to hills or mounds.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Uhlar. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Uhlar 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Uhlar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Uhlar, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Uhlar
The surname Uhlar originated in Germany in the late medieval period, around the 15th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "ūr," meaning "aurochs" or wild ox, and the suffix "-ler," which denotes an occupation or profession. The name likely referred to someone who worked with aurochs, either as a hunter, herder, or trader.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Uhlar can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Uhlar was mentioned in 1487 as a member of the local guild of tanners. Another early reference is in the parish records of Bamberg, where a Jakob Uhlar was listed as a landowner in 1512.
The name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria and Franconia, where several families bearing the surname Uhlar can be traced back to the 16th and 17th centuries. Notable individuals from this time period include Johann Uhlar (1532-1610), a respected physician and author of medical treatises, and Margaretha Uhlar (1588-1662), a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation in Ansbach.
In the 18th century, the name Uhlar can be found in various records across central Germany, including the birth records of the town of Meiningen, where a certain Georg Uhlar was born in 1712. Another notable figure from this era is Johann Friedrich Uhlar (1737-1804), a celebrated composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld.
As the centuries progressed, the name Uhlar spread to other parts of Europe, with some families emigrating to the Americas and other regions. One notable example is Karl Uhlar (1822-1897), a German-American architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in New York City, including the Old New York County Courthouse.
While the name Uhlar is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of the rich tapestry of German and European surnames, with a history that stretches back to the medieval era and the ancient aurochs that once roamed the forests of central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Uhlar
Among Census respondents with the surname Uhlar, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Uhlar 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 Uhlar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 116
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Uhlar
Uhlar 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+2 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,796 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-5 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,195 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 6,796 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 7,195 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 Uhlar 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 | #135,593 | #142,788 | -5.3% |
| Count | 124 | 119 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Uhlar bearers went from 124 to 119 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 7,195 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #142,788.
FAQ
Uhlar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Uhlar?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Uhlar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Uhlar?
Uhlar ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Uhlar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Uhlar.
Has Uhlar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Uhlar went from 124 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Uhlar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Uhlar, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Uhlar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Uhlar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Uhlar (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 Uhlar mean?
A topographic surname relating to hills or mounds. 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 Uhlar (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 share the surname Uhlar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.