2000
#499
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 59,843
First available Census row
Per 100,000 22.18
Uncommon Last name
Lang
A surname of German origin referring to a tall or long person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 68,752 Americans carry the last name Lang. That puts it at #551 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 20.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,985 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lang 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lang with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
69K
1 in 4,985
Census rank
#551
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
20.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
60K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 59,955 bearers of the surname Lang in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 20.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 551st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lang, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lang
The surname Lang is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English word "lang," meaning "tall" or "long." It first emerged in various counties across England, including Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Yorkshire, during the 12th and 13th centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lang surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Lange" in Norfolk. This ancient record provides evidence of the name's existence during the Norman conquest of England.
In the 13th century, the Lang surname was prevalent in Yorkshire, where it was often associated with place names such as Langtoft and Langthorp. Notable individuals from this period include William Lang de Langtoft, a 13th-century chronicler, and John Lang of Langthorp, who lived in the late 13th century.
During the 15th century, the Lang surname gained prominence in Scotland, particularly in the counties of Lanarkshire and Ayrshire. One notable figure from this era was Andrew Lang, a Scottish historian and poet born in 1844 and died in 1912.
In Germany, the Lang surname has roots dating back to the 16th century, where it was often spelled as "Lange." Johann Lang, a German theologian born in 1486 and died in 1568, was a notable figure from this period.
As the Lang surname spread across Europe, it became associated with various occupations and professions. In France, the Lang family was known for their expertise in winemaking, and in Italy, the Langhi family played a significant role in the textile industry during the Renaissance period.
Other notable individuals bearing the Lang surname throughout history include:
1. Andrew Lang (1844-1912), a Scottish scholar, literary critic, and poet.
2. Cosmo Lang (1864-1945), an English prelate who served as the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1928 to 1942.
3. Fritz Lang (1890-1976), an Austrian-American filmmaker, screenwriter, and actor, best known for his influential works in German Expressionist cinema.
4. Jack Lang (born 1939), an Australian politician and former Premier of New South Wales.
5. Katharine Lang (1865-1944), an American philanthropist and social worker.
The Lang surname has a rich history spanning centuries and continents, reflecting the diverse cultural and linguistic influences that have shaped its evolution over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lang
Among Census respondents with the surname Lang, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lang 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 Lang surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.4% · 47,020
- Black or African American9.8% · 5,889
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 2,466
- Two or more races3.6% · 2,175
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 2,084
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 321
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lang
Lang 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
#545
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 61,529
+1,686 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 20.86
Rank movement Down 46 places
2020
#551
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 59,955
-1,574 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 20.06
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #499 | 59,843 | 22.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #545 | 61,529 | 20.86 | +1,686 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 46 places |
| 2020 | #551 | 59,955 | 20.06 | -1,574 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 6 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 Lang 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 | #545 | #551 | -1.1% |
| Count | 61,529 | 59,955 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 20.86 | 20.06 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lang bearers went from 61,529 to 59,955 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #545 to #551.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lang
FAQ
Lang surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lang?
Name Census estimates that about 68,752 living Americans carry the surname Lang. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,985 residents.
How common is Lang?
Lang ranks #551 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 20.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 20 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 59,955 people with the surname Lang. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (68,752), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 20.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 20.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 20 of them to have the surname Lang.
Has Lang become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lang went from 61,529 recorded bearers to 59,955. That is a decrease of 1,574 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #545 to #551.
What does the Census say about the background of Lang?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lang, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (9.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). 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 Lang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.4% (47,020 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lang appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.4%), Black (9.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%). 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 Lang (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 Lang mean?
A surname of German origin referring to a tall or long person. 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 Lang (20.06 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 Lang?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.