2000
#137,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lobenstein
Derived from a German place name, potentially referring to someone from the town of Lobenstein.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 164 Americans carry the last name Lobenstein. That puts it at #125,732 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,089,965 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lobenstein 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
164
1 in 2,089,965
Census rank
#125,732
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
143
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 143 bearers of the surname Lobenstein in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 125732nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lobenstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lobenstein
The surname Lobenstein is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the town of Lobenstein, located in the Vogtlandkreis district of Thuringia, Germany. This town's name is believed to come from the Slavic word "lob," meaning "skull," and "stein," meaning "stone" in German, possibly referring to a rocky or hilly terrain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lobenstein surname can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae," a collection of historical documents from the former Kingdom of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was already in use during this period.
In the 14th century, there are records of a nobleman named Burckhard von Lobenstein, who held significant influence in the region around the town of Lobenstein. His family's coat of arms, featuring a lion rampant on a red field, is still associated with the name today.
During the 16th century, a notable figure named Hans von Lobenstein (1500-1564) served as a Protestant reformer and theologian in Saxony. He played a crucial role in the spread of Lutheranism in the region and authored several religious texts.
Another prominent individual bearing this surname was Johann Friedrich von Lobenstein (1619-1685), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as the Chancellor of the University of Jena. His legal treatises and writings on jurisprudence were widely influential during his time.
In the field of literature, the name Lobenstein is associated with Christian August Lobenstein (1685-1748), a German poet and playwright who gained recognition for his tragedies and comedies. His works were popular in the 18th century and helped shape the development of German theater.
While the Lobenstein surname is most commonly found in Germany, it has also been carried by individuals from other parts of Europe, likely due to migration and intermarriage over the centuries. However, the majority of historical records and notable figures associated with this name can be traced back to its German origins and the town from which it derived its name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lobenstein
Among Census respondents with the surname Lobenstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lobenstein 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 Lobenstein surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 134
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 3
- Two or more races2.1% · 3
- Black or African American0.7% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lobenstein
Lobenstein 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+5 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,292 places
2020
#125,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 143
+26 bearers (+22.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 16,376 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #137,816 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 4,292 places |
| 2020 | #125,732 | 143 | 0.05 | +26 bearers (+22.2%) | Up 16,376 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 Lobenstein 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 | #142,108 | #125,732 | 11.5% |
| Count | 117 | 143 | 22.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 19.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lobenstein bearers went from 117 to 143 (+22.2% change). The surname moved up 16,376 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #125,732.
FAQ
Lobenstein surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lobenstein?
Name Census estimates that about 164 living Americans carry the surname Lobenstein. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,089,965 residents.
How common is Lobenstein?
Lobenstein ranks #125,732 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 143 people with the surname Lobenstein. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (164), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Lobenstein.
Has Lobenstein become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lobenstein went from 117 recorded bearers to 143. That is an increase of 26 (+22.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #142,108 to #125,732.
What does the Census say about the background of Lobenstein?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lobenstein, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.1%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Lobenstein in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (134 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lobenstein appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Hispanic (2.1%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Lobenstein (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 Lobenstein mean?
Derived from a German place name, potentially referring to someone from the town of Lobenstein. 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 Lobenstein (0.05 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 Lobenstein?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Lobenstein at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.