2000
#28,375
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 792
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.29
Very Rare Last name
Trachtenberg
A German occupational surname meaning "cloth merchant" or "draper".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 921 Americans carry the last name Trachtenberg. That puts it at #30,982 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 372,155 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trachtenberg 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
921
1 in 372,155
Census rank
#30,982
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
803
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 803 bearers of the surname Trachtenberg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30982nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trachtenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trachtenberg
The surname Trachtenberg is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the German words "Tracht," meaning traditional dress or costume, and "Berg," which translates to mountain or hill. The name likely originated from a specific location or region known for its distinctive traditional attire.
One of the earliest known references to the Trachtenberg surname can be found in the historical records of the city of Nuremberg, Germany, dating back to the late 1500s. These records mention a family with the surname Trachtenberg residing within the city walls during that time period.
The name Trachtenberg also appears in various German church records and municipal archives from the 17th and 18th centuries, indicating its widespread use across different regions of what is now modern-day Germany.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Trachtenberg include:
1. Johann Trachtenberg (1613-1675), a German mathematician and author, known for his work on arithmetic and his contributions to the development of the decimal system.
2. Jacob Trachtenberg (1888-1953), an American mathematician and author, best known for his book "A Student's Introduction to the Study of Integral Calculus."
3. Pauline Trachtenberg (1892-1972), a Russian-born American artist and sculptor, whose works were displayed in numerous exhibitions throughout the United States.
4. Alexander Trachtenberg (1884-1966), a Russian-American socialist activist and author, who played a significant role in the American labor movement during the early 20th century.
5. Morris Trachtenberg (1891-1973), an American architect and urban planner, known for his influential work on housing policies and urban renewal projects in the United States.
While the surname Trachtenberg has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with notable individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in fields such as mathematics, art, activism, and architecture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trachtenberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Trachtenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Trachtenberg 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 Trachtenberg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 726
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 52
- Two or more races1.7% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 9
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trachtenberg
Trachtenberg 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
#28,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 824
+32 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Down 481 places
2020
#30,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 803
-21 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 2,126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #28,375 | 792 | 0.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #28,856 | 824 | 0.28 | +32 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 481 places |
| 2020 | #30,982 | 803 | 0.27 | -21 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 2,126 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 Trachtenberg 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 | #28,856 | #30,982 | -7.4% |
| Count | 824 | 803 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.28 | 0.27 | -4.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trachtenberg bearers went from 824 to 803 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 2,126 positions in the national ranking, going from #28,856 to #30,982.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Trachtenberg
FAQ
Trachtenberg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trachtenberg?
Name Census estimates that about 921 living Americans carry the surname Trachtenberg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 372,155 residents.
How common is Trachtenberg?
Trachtenberg ranks #30,982 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.27 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 803 people with the surname Trachtenberg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (921), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.27 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 Trachtenberg.
Has Trachtenberg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trachtenberg went from 824 recorded bearers to 803. That is a decrease of 21 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #28,856 to #30,982.
What does the Census say about the background of Trachtenberg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trachtenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Trachtenberg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (726 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trachtenberg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (6.5%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Trachtenberg (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 Trachtenberg mean?
A German occupational surname meaning "cloth merchant" or "draper". 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 Trachtenberg (0.27 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 Trachtenberg?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Trachtenberg at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.