2000
#36,860
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 571
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.21
Very Rare Last name
Redlinger
A surname originating from the German word for 'red-haired'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 732 Americans carry the last name Redlinger. That puts it at #37,492 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 468,244 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Redlinger 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
732
1 in 468,244
Census rank
#37,492
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
638
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 638 bearers of the surname Redlinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 37492nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Redlinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Redlinger
The surname REDLINGER originates from Germany, specifically from the southern German states of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It likely emerged in the 14th or 15th century, derived from the old German words "rot" (meaning red) and "linger" (a person from the left or left-handed).
REDLINGER was likely an occupational surname given to someone who worked with red dyes or pigments, or perhaps a distinguishing name for a left-handed person during a time when this was considered unusual. The earliest recorded spelling variants include Rotlinger, Redlinger, and Roedlinger.
One of the earliest known references to the name appears in a 1492 municipal record from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, which mentions a "Hans Redlinger" as a resident. Another early record from 1523 in the city of Augsburg lists a "Georg Rotlinger" as a guild member.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with this surname was Johann Redlinger (c. 1510-1576), a Lutheran theologian and reformer from Nuremberg. He played a role in the spread of Protestantism in southern Germany.
Later, in the 17th century, there was a famous artist named Johann Michael Redlinger (1651-1732) from Bamberg, known for his intricate wood carvings and sculptures in churches across Bavaria.
Another individual of note was Philipp Jakob Redlinger (1760-1828), a Bavarian military officer who served under Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars and was awarded the Légion d'honneur.
Throughout the 19th century, the REDLINGER surname began appearing more frequently in records as families with this name migrated from Germany to other parts of Europe and North America in search of new opportunities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Redlinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Redlinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Redlinger 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 Redlinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 589
- Two or more races3.8% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Redlinger
Redlinger 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
#35,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 642
+71 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.22
Rank movement Up 1,764 places
2020
#37,492
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 638
-4 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 2,396 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #36,860 | 571 | 0.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #35,096 | 642 | 0.22 | +71 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 1,764 places |
| 2020 | #37,492 | 638 | 0.21 | -4 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 2,396 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 Redlinger 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 | #35,096 | #37,492 | -6.8% |
| Count | 642 | 638 | -0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.22 | 0.21 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Redlinger bearers went from 642 to 638 (-0.6% change). The surname moved down 2,396 positions in the national ranking, going from #35,096 to #37,492.
FAQ
Redlinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Redlinger?
Name Census estimates that about 732 living Americans carry the surname Redlinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 468,244 residents.
How common is Redlinger?
Redlinger ranks #37,492 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 638 people with the surname Redlinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (732), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Redlinger.
Has Redlinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Redlinger went from 642 recorded bearers to 638. That is a decrease of 4 (-0.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #35,096 to #37,492.
What does the Census say about the background of Redlinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Redlinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (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 Redlinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (589 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Redlinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (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 Redlinger (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 Redlinger mean?
A surname originating from the German word for 'red-haired'. 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 Redlinger (0.21 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 Americans have the surname Redlinger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.