2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Uhlenberg
A locational surname derived from any of several places named Uhlenberg in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Uhlenberg. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Uhlenberg 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Uhlenberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Uhlenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Uhlenberg
The surname UHLENBERG has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German words "Uhl" meaning owl, and "Berg" meaning mountain or hill, indicating that the name may have originated from a location or place name associated with an owl-inhabited hill or mountainous area.
The earliest known recorded instances of the UHLENBERG surname can be traced back to various historical documents and records from regions in present-day Germany, such as church registers, census records, and land ownership documents. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans UHLENBERG, born in 1587 in the town of Marburg, located in the state of Hesse.
Throughout the centuries, the UHLENBERG name has undergone slight variations in spelling, with some alternative forms including UHLENBURG, UHLENBERGER, and UHLENBERGER. These variations often reflected regional dialects or the preferences of individual families.
In the 18th century, the UHLENBERG surname gained prominence when Johann Friedrich UHLENBERG (1715-1783), a German theologian and philosopher, published several influential works on religious and philosophical topics. His writings contributed to the intellectual discourse of the time and helped establish the UHLENBERG name within academic circles.
Another notable bearer of the UHLENBERG surname was Karl August UHLENBERG (1801-1875), a German painter and lithographer known for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life. His works are currently housed in various art museums and galleries across Germany.
During the 19th century, the UHLENBERG family also found success in the field of business and commerce. Heinrich UHLENBERG (1825-1892), a successful merchant and entrepreneur, established a thriving textile trade in the city of Hamburg, which contributed to the economic growth of the region.
In the early 20th century, the name UHLENBERG gained further recognition through the accomplishments of Gerhard UHLENBERG (1908-1992), a renowned German physicist and academic. Uhlenberg made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics and held prestigious positions at various universities throughout his career.
While the UHLENBERG surname may have originated from a specific location or place name, it has since spread across various regions of Germany and beyond, with descendants of the name found in many parts of the world today.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Uhlenberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Uhlenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Uhlenberg 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 Uhlenberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.2% · 89
- Black or African American9.9% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 6
- Two or more races3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Uhlenberg
Uhlenberg appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+7 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,379 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.7%) | Up 7,379 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 Uhlenberg 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 | #156,044 | #148,665 | 4.7% |
| Count | 104 | 111 | 6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Uhlenberg bearers went from 104 to 111 (+6.7% change). The surname moved up 7,379 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #148,665.
FAQ
Uhlenberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Uhlenberg?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Uhlenberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Uhlenberg?
Uhlenberg ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Uhlenberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Uhlenberg.
Has Uhlenberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Uhlenberg went from 104 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 7 (+6.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Uhlenberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Uhlenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Black (9.9%) and Hispanic (5.4%). 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 Uhlenberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Uhlenberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.2%), Black (9.9%), Hispanic (5.4%). 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 Uhlenberg (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 Uhlenberg mean?
A locational surname derived from any of several places named Uhlenberg in Germany. 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 Uhlenberg (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 Uhlenberg?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.