2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Umbenhower
A variant spelling of the German surname Umbenhaur, meaning "one who lives near a crooked bend".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 111 Americans carry the last name Umbenhower. That puts it at #156,449 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,087,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Umbenhower 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
111
1 in 3,087,877
Census rank
#156,449
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
97
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 97 bearers of the surname Umbenhower in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156449th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Umbenhower, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Umbenhower
The surname Umbenhower has its origins in Germany, dating back to the Middle Ages around the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of the country, particularly in Bavaria and parts of Swabia. The name is likely derived from a combination of the Old German words "umb" meaning "around" and "hauer" meaning "a cutter" or "a woodcutter."
This suggests that the earliest bearers of the name may have been associated with the occupation of woodcutting or forestry work. The name could also be linked to a specific location or village where woodcutting was a prominent trade or industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Umbenhower can be found in the Urkundenbuch der Stadt Nürnberg, a collection of historical documents from the city of Nuremberg, dating back to the 14th century. This suggests that the name had already established itself in the region by that time.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure bearing the name Umbenhower was Johannes Umbenhower, a German theologian and Protestant reformer born in 1498 in Bretten, Baden-Württemberg. He played an influential role in the Reformation movement and was a close associate of Martin Luther.
Another notable figure was Konrad Umbenhower, a German artist and engraver who lived in the 16th century. His intricate woodcuts and engravings depicting religious and mythological scenes were highly acclaimed during his time.
In the 18th century, the name Umbenhower appeared in the records of the town of Schönau, located in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg. A family by the name of Umbenhower is mentioned as being prominent landowners and farmers in the area.
Moving into the 19th century, a notable Umbenhower was Friedrich Umbenhower, a German composer and musician born in 1821 in Heidelberg. He is known for his compositions for piano and chamber ensembles, which were widely performed during the Romantic era.
While the name Umbenhower is of German origin, it has spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration patterns. It has been found in various spellings, such as Umbenhaur, Umbenhouer, and Umbenhofer, reflecting regional variations and adaptations over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Umbenhower
Among Census respondents with the surname Umbenhower, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Umbenhower 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 Umbenhower surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 85
- Hispanic or Latino9.3% · 9
- Two or more races3.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Umbenhower
Umbenhower 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,191 places
2020
#156,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 97
-23 bearers (-19.2%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 17,221 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 5,191 places |
| 2020 | #156,449 | 97 | 0.03 | -23 bearers (-19.2%) | Down 17,221 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 Umbenhower 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 | #139,228 | #156,449 | -12.4% |
| Count | 120 | 97 | -19.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Umbenhower bearers went from 120 to 97 (-19.2% change). The surname moved down 17,221 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #156,449.
FAQ
Umbenhower surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Umbenhower?
Name Census estimates that about 111 living Americans carry the surname Umbenhower. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,087,877 residents.
How common is Umbenhower?
Umbenhower ranks #156,449 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 97 people with the surname Umbenhower. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (111), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Umbenhower.
Has Umbenhower become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Umbenhower went from 120 recorded bearers to 97. That is a decrease of 23 (-19.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #156,449.
What does the Census say about the background of Umbenhower?
Among Census respondents with the surname Umbenhower, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Umbenhower in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Umbenhower appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Hispanic (9.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Umbenhower (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 Umbenhower mean?
A variant spelling of the German surname Umbenhaur, meaning "one who lives near a crooked bend". 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 Umbenhower (0.03 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 Umbenhower?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.