2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Undlin
A surname of German origin, potentially derived from a place name or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Undlin. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Undlin 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Undlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Undlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Undlin
The surname UNDLIN is believed to have its origins in Scandinavia, likely originating from Sweden or Norway during the medieval period. It may have derived from an Old Norse word or place name, possibly related to the word "und" meaning "wave" or "billow."
Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name UNDLIN can be found in Swedish parish records dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. These records often contain variations in spelling, such as Undelin, Undlin, or Undlien, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal practices of the time.
One notable individual bearing the surname UNDLIN was Erik Undlin, a Swedish sailor and explorer who accompanied the Danish explorer Vitus Bering on his expedition to the Aleutian Islands in the early 18th century. Undlin's detailed accounts of the voyage and the native populations they encountered provided valuable insights into the region's geography and culture.
Another prominent figure was Anna Undlin, a Swedish writer and feminist activist born in 1839. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights and education, publishing several works on these topics during her lifetime.
In the field of science, Carl Undlin (1816-1897) was a renowned Swedish botanist who made significant contributions to the study of Scandinavian flora. His extensive herbarium collections and publications were instrumental in advancing our understanding of plant diversity in the region.
Moving to Norway, the name UNDLIN can be traced back to the 17th century, with records of a farmer named Olav Undlin who lived in the rural village of Undlinvangen, in the central region of the country. This village name may have influenced the surname's evolution, as it suggests a potential connection to a geographical location.
Lastly, in the realm of art, the Norwegian painter Knut Undlin (1868-1942) gained recognition for his landscape paintings depicting the rugged beauty of the Norwegian fjords and mountains. His works are celebrated for their vivid colors and atmospheric quality, capturing the essence of the country's natural scenery.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Undlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Undlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Undlin 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 Undlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 98
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 5
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Undlin
Undlin 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+9 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 103 places
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,588 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.8%) | Down 103 places |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 2,588 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 Undlin 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 | #148,347 | #150,935 | -1.7% |
| Count | 111 | 108 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Undlin bearers went from 111 to 108 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 2,588 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #150,935.
FAQ
Undlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Undlin?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Undlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Undlin?
Undlin ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Undlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Undlin.
Has Undlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Undlin went from 111 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Undlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Undlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Undlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Undlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (4.6%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Undlin (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 Undlin mean?
A surname of German origin, potentially derived from a place name or location. 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 Undlin (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 Undlin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.