2000
#12,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,255
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Umberger
An occupational surname for a person who made or sold tiles or bricks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,070 Americans carry the last name Umberger. That puts it at #15,588 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,582 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Umberger 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
2.1K
1 in 165,582
Census rank
#15,588
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,805 bearers of the surname Umberger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15588th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Umberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.5%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Umberger
The surname Umberger has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the 14th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "Umberg," which referred to a person living near a hill or a mound. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Umbergere," found in the town records of Cologne in 1355.
During the medieval period, the name Umberger was predominantly found in the regions of Rhineland and Saxony. It was often associated with skilled craftsmen and artisans who resided in the vicinity of hillocks or mounds. The name appears in several historical documents from the time, including the Nuremberg Chronicles, a renowned illustrated world history published in 1493.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Umberger was Hans Umberger, a renowned blacksmith who lived in the town of Aachen during the late 15th century. His skilled craftsmanship earned him recognition among the local nobility, and his work can still be found in some of the region's historical landmarks.
In the 16th century, the name Umberger began to spread beyond the borders of Germany. Records show that a certain Wilhelm Umberger, born in 1542, was a merchant who traded in spices and textiles, establishing trade routes between Germany and the Netherlands.
The 17th century saw the emergence of Johann Umberger, a Lutheran theologian and scholar. Born in 1625 in Saxony, he authored several influential works on religious doctrine and was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation.
During the 18th century, the Umberger name gained prominence in the field of arts and literature. Katharina Umberger, born in 1758 in Cologne, was a celebrated painter and portraitist whose works adorned the homes of many aristocratic families across Europe.
In the 19th century, the name Umberger found its way to the United States, carried by German immigrants seeking new opportunities. One such individual was Friedrich Umberger, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1846 and became a prominent figure in the state's burgeoning coal mining industry.
Throughout its long history, the surname Umberger has been associated with various professions and regions, reflecting the diverse experiences of those who bore this name. While its origins can be traced back to the hills and mounds of medieval Germany, the name has since spread across continents, leaving an indelible mark on the tapestry of human civilization.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Umberger
Among Census respondents with the surname Umberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.5%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Umberger 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 Umberger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 1,742
- Two or more races1.5% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Umberger
Umberger 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
#13,569
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,235
-20 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 971 places
2020
#15,588
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,805
-430 bearers (-19.2%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 2,019 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,598 | 2,255 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,569 | 2,235 | 0.76 | -20 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 971 places |
| 2020 | #15,588 | 1,805 | 0.60 | -430 bearers (-19.2%) | Down 2,019 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 Umberger 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 | #13,569 | #15,588 | -14.9% |
| Count | 2,235 | 1,805 | -19.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.60 | -20.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Umberger bearers went from 2,235 to 1,805 (-19.2% change). The surname moved down 2,019 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,569 to #15,588.
FAQ
Umberger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Umberger?
Name Census estimates that about 2,070 living Americans carry the surname Umberger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,582 residents.
How common is Umberger?
Umberger ranks #15,588 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,805 people with the surname Umberger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,070), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Umberger.
Has Umberger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Umberger went from 2,235 recorded bearers to 1,805. That is a decrease of 430 (-19.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,569 to #15,588.
What does the Census say about the background of Umberger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Umberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.5%) and Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Umberger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (1,742 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Umberger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Two or More Races (1.5%), Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Umberger (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 Umberger mean?
An occupational surname for a person who made or sold tiles or bricks. 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 Umberger (0.60 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 are called Umberger?
Want to know how common the surname Umberger is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.