2000
#30,352
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 727
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.27
Very Rare Last name
Salinger
From the Germanic words "sal" meaning hall or castle, and "ing" meaning belonging to, referring to an occupant of a hall or castle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 773 Americans carry the last name Salinger. That puts it at #35,833 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 443,408 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salinger 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
773
1 in 443,408
Census rank
#35,833
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
674
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 674 bearers of the surname Salinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 35833rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salinger
The surname Salinger has its origins in Germany, and it is believed to have emerged during the late Middle Ages, around the 14th or 15th century. The name is derived from the Old German word "salo," which means "dark" or "black," and it was likely given as a descriptive name to someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Salinger can be found in the Bavarian town of Saldorf, where it was mentioned in a document from the year 1397. The name was also found in various other regions of Germany, such as Saxony and Thuringia, where it appeared in church records and local census documents.
In the 16th century, the name Salinger was sometimes spelled as "Sallinger" or "Salinger," reflecting the variations in spelling that were common during that time period. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Johann Salinger, a merchant who lived in Nuremberg in the late 15th century, and Hans Salinger, a farmer from the village of Kirchberg in the early 16th century.
As the Salinger family spread throughout Germany and other parts of Europe, the name became associated with various place names, such as Salingerhof, a small hamlet in Bavaria, and Salingerberg, a hill near the town of Coburg. These place names likely derived from the surname itself, indicating the presence of Salinger families in those areas.
One notable figure with the surname Salinger was Johann Salinger, a German scholar and theologian who lived in the 16th century (1521-1576). He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.
Another famous bearer of the name was Johann Salinger, a German artist and engraver who lived in the 17th century (1639-1701). He was known for his intricate copper engravings and was a member of the renowned Nuremberg Academy of Fine Arts.
In the 19th century, the Salinger name gained further prominence with the birth of Hermann Salinger (1838-1920), a German-American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the brewing industry in New York City.
Additionally, the name Salinger is associated with the renowned American author Jerome David Salinger (1919-2010), best known for his classic novel "The Catcher in the Rye." Although he was not of German descent, his surname likely had its roots in the same Old German word "salo."
Throughout history, the surname Salinger has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, businessmen, and writers, reflecting the diverse contributions made by those who bear this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Salinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Salinger 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 Salinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 601
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 52
- Two or more races1.3% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 7
- Black or African American0.7% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salinger
Salinger 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
#32,599
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 705
-22 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 2,247 places
2020
#35,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 674
-31 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 3,234 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #30,352 | 727 | 0.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,599 | 705 | 0.24 | -22 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 2,247 places |
| 2020 | #35,833 | 674 | 0.23 | -31 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 3,234 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 Salinger 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 | #32,599 | #35,833 | -9.9% |
| Count | 705 | 674 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.23 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salinger bearers went from 705 to 674 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 3,234 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,599 to #35,833.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Salinger
FAQ
Salinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salinger?
Name Census estimates that about 773 living Americans carry the surname Salinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 443,408 residents.
How common is Salinger?
Salinger ranks #35,833 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 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 674 people with the surname Salinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (773), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 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 Salinger.
Has Salinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salinger went from 705 recorded bearers to 674. That is a decrease of 31 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,599 to #35,833.
What does the Census say about the background of Salinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.7%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Salinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (601 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Hispanic (7.7%), Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Salinger (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 Salinger mean?
From the Germanic words "sal" meaning hall or castle, and "ing" meaning belonging to, referring to an occupant of a hall or castle. 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 Salinger (0.23 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 Salinger?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Salinger is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.