The Lang surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 61,529 people carried this name — #545 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 4,790 people counted. That is up 3% from 59,843 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Lang surname
A surname. An English surname transferred from the nickname from Old English lang (“long”), a nickname for a tall person.
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Lang» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
5,640 people named Lang live in Switzerland.
They live in all 26 of Switzerland’s cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 4,618 people named Lang.
296 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 82 départements, most often Moselle.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 1,641 people named Lang live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Poland’s population register
802 people named Lang have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 1,103 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in all 16 of Poland’s voivodeships, most of all in Silesian.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890
Ireland registered 15 births for the Lang name in 1890.
Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 700 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Cavan.”
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born, 1890
Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 138 people named Lang live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Liège.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In the Nordic population registers
3,180 people named Lang are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Lang in American newspapers,
1903–1922.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,011,752 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Lang,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Karl Niklaus Lang 1670–1741 · theologian -
Carl Lang 1766–1822 · writer -
Josephine Lang 1815–1880 · composer -
Andrew Lang 1844–1912 · writer -
Cosmo Gordon Lang 1864–1945 · archbishop
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 169 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Lang.
- Landucci 343 · U.S. census
- Landuyt 286 · U.S. census
- Landy 2,474 · U.S. census
- Lane 134,227 · U.S. census
- Lanes 429 · U.S. census
- Lanfranchi 169 · U.S. census
- Langa 350 · U.S. census
- Lange 30,984 · U.S. census
- Langel 1,108 · U.S. census
- Langelier 529 · U.S. census
- Langella 497 · U.S. census
- Langellier 182 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Lang is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.