2000
#20,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,231
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.46
Rare Last name
Uhlig
An occupational surname referring to an owl keeper or falconer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,297 Americans carry the last name Uhlig. That puts it at #23,203 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 264,267 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Uhlig 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
1.3K
1 in 264,267
Census rank
#23,203
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,131 bearers of the surname Uhlig in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 23203rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Uhlig, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Uhlig
The surname UHLIG originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Uhle," which means "owl." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname or occupation title for someone who worked with or had some association with owls.
The name UHLIG was primarily concentrated in the regions of Saxony and Silesia in eastern Germany, although it also spread to other parts of the country over time. In its earliest forms, the name was spelled in various ways, including "Uhle," "Ule," and "Uhlig."
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the UHLIG surname can be found in a document from the town of Chemnitz, Saxony, dated 1301. This document references a person named "Heinricus Uhle," likely an early bearer of the name.
Throughout the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance, the UHLIG name appears in various historical records across eastern Germany. Notable individuals with this surname include Johann Uhlig (1501-1567), a Protestant reformer and theologian from Saxony, and Hans Uhlig (1556-1621), a renowned clockmaker and inventor from Nuremberg.
In the 18th century, the UHLIG name gained further prominence with the birth of Philipp Uhlig (1735-1810), a German composer and organist from Dresden. Another notable figure was Johann Friedrich Uhlig (1763-1835), a German theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Leipzig.
Moving into the 19th century, Carl Benjamin Uhlig (1824-1887) was a prominent German classical pianist and composer, known for his interpretations of works by Beethoven and Chopin. Additionally, Gustav Uhlig (1838-1914) was a German historian and educator who served as the director of the Görlitz Gymnasium.
As the UHLIG surname spread across Germany and into neighboring regions, it also appeared in various place names and geographical locations. For example, the village of Uhligen in Saxony is believed to have derived its name from the UHLIG surname or its variants.
While the UHLIG name has been well-documented throughout German history, it is important to note that this overview is based on historical records and does not include recent census data or modern information, which may be subject to change or inaccuracies.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Uhlig
Among Census respondents with the surname Uhlig, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Uhlig 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 Uhlig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 1,037
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 48
- Two or more races2.6% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 10
- Black or African American0.5% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Uhlig
Uhlig 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
#21,413
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,221
-10 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Down 1,275 places
2020
#23,203
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,131
-90 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 1,790 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #20,138 | 1,231 | 0.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #21,413 | 1,221 | 0.41 | -10 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 1,275 places |
| 2020 | #23,203 | 1,131 | 0.38 | -90 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 1,790 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 Uhlig 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 | #21,413 | #23,203 | -8.4% |
| Count | 1,221 | 1,131 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.41 | 0.38 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Uhlig bearers went from 1,221 to 1,131 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 1,790 positions in the national ranking, going from #21,413 to #23,203.
FAQ
Uhlig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Uhlig?
Name Census estimates that about 1,297 living Americans carry the surname Uhlig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 264,267 residents.
How common is Uhlig?
Uhlig ranks #23,203 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.38 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 1,131 people with the surname Uhlig. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,297), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.38 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 Uhlig.
Has Uhlig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Uhlig went from 1,221 recorded bearers to 1,131. That is a decrease of 90 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #21,413 to #23,203.
What does the Census say about the background of Uhlig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Uhlig, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) 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 Uhlig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (1,037 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Uhlig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.2%), 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 Uhlig (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 Uhlig mean?
An occupational surname referring to an owl keeper or falconer. 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 Uhlig (0.38 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 last name Uhlig?
Find out how many people are called Uhlig on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.