2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Waldfogel
A German surname meaning "forest bird" or "forest fowl."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Waldfogel. 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 Waldfogel 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 Waldfogel 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 Waldfogel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Waldfogel
The surname Waldfogel is of German origin, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is a compound word formed by combining the elements "wald" meaning "forest" and "vogel" meaning "bird" or "fowl." The earliest recorded instances of this surname can be traced back to the 13th century, particularly in regions of southern Germany such as Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
One of the earliest known references to the name Waldfogel appears in a document from 1287, where a Hans Waldfogel is mentioned as a resident of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. This historical town, known for its well-preserved medieval architecture, suggests that the name may have originated among the forest-dwelling or hunting communities of the region.
Over the centuries, the name Waldfogel has been subject to various spellings and variations, such as Waltvogel, Waldvogel, and Waltfogel. These variations reflect the regional dialects and phonetic adaptations that occurred as the name spread across different parts of Germany and neighboring countries.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Waldfogel include Johann Waldfogel (1515-1592), a prominent Reformation-era theologian from Nuremberg, and Hans Waldfogel (1654-1718), a renowned clockmaker whose intricate timepieces are still prized by collectors today.
In the 19th century, the name gained further recognition with the birth of Karl Waldfogel (1834-1909), a celebrated Bavarian landscape painter whose works captured the beauty of the German countryside and forests. Another notable figure was Otto Waldfogel (1870-1932), a pioneering German engineer who contributed significantly to the development of early automotive technologies.
During the 20th century, the Waldfogel name became more widely dispersed across Europe and beyond, with individuals such as the German-born American journalist and author Ernst Waldfogel (1901-1985) and the British actress and writer Valerie Waldfogel (1931-2018) achieving recognition in their respective fields.
While the surname Waldfogel is not among the most common in Germany or other parts of the world, it carries a rich historical legacy that reflects the cultural and linguistic traditions of its Germanic origins, with a particular connection to the forests and natural landscapes that shaped the lives of its early bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Waldfogel
Among Census respondents with the surname Waldfogel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Waldfogel 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 Waldfogel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Waldfogel
Waldfogel 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-4 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,706 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-5 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,516 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.3%) | Down 12,706 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 5,516 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 Waldfogel 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 | #143,149 | #148,665 | -3.9% |
| Count | 116 | 111 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Waldfogel bearers went from 116 to 111 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 5,516 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #148,665.
FAQ
Waldfogel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Waldfogel?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Waldfogel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Waldfogel?
Waldfogel 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 Waldfogel. 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 Waldfogel.
Has Waldfogel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Waldfogel went from 116 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Waldfogel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Waldfogel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Waldfogel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Waldfogel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Waldfogel (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 Waldfogel mean?
A German surname meaning "forest bird" or "forest fowl." 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 Waldfogel (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 common is the surname Waldfogel?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Waldfogel, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.