2000
#12,471
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,283
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Amstutz
A Swiss German habitational surname referring to someone living near a river crossing or bridge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,913 Americans carry the last name Amstutz. That puts it at #11,793 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 117,664 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Amstutz 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
2.9K
1 in 117,664
Census rank
#11,793
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,540 bearers of the surname Amstutz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11793rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Amstutz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Amstutz
The surname Amstutz has its origins in Switzerland, dating back to the early 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Swiss-German word "Am Stutz," which translates to "at the steep slope" or "at the precipice." This suggests that the name may have originated from a particular geographical feature or location where the earliest bearers of the name resided.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Swiss canton of Bern, where the Amstutz family was well-established. Historical records from the late 16th century mention individuals bearing variations of the name, such as Amstutz, Amstuz, and Amstuzen. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and spelling preferences of the time.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various Swiss church records and official documents, indicating its widespread use across different regions of the country. One notable figure from this period was Hans Amstutz, a prominent farmer and landowner from the village of Oberhofen, who lived from 1620 to 1688.
As the Amstutz family continued to grow and expand, some members migrated to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. In the late 18th century, records show the arrival of Amstutz families in Pennsylvania, where they settled and established roots in the new world.
In the 19th century, the name gained recognition with the birth of Johann Jakob Amstutz (1817-1893), a renowned Swiss painter known for his landscape and genre paintings. His works are celebrated for their realistic depictions of rural life and the Swiss countryside.
Another notable figure was Emil Amstutz (1870-1957), a Swiss-American engineer and inventor. He was instrumental in the development of early electrical systems and held numerous patents for his innovations in the field of electrical engineering.
Throughout history, the Amstutz surname has been associated with various professions, including farmers, artisans, artists, and scholars. While the name may have originated from a specific geographical location, it has since spread across continents and cultures, reflecting the journey and contributions of its bearers to their respective communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Amstutz
Among Census respondents with the surname Amstutz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Amstutz 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 Amstutz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 2,380
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 81
- Two or more races1.9% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
- Black or African American0.6% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Amstutz
Amstutz 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
#12,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,412
+129 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 318 places
2020
#11,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,540
+128 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Up 996 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,471 | 2,283 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,789 | 2,412 | 0.82 | +129 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 318 places |
| 2020 | #11,793 | 2,540 | 0.85 | +128 bearers (+5.3%) | Up 996 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 Amstutz 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 | #12,789 | #11,793 | 7.8% |
| Count | 2,412 | 2,540 | 5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.85 | 3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Amstutz bearers went from 2,412 to 2,540 (+5.3% change). The surname moved up 996 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,789 to #11,793.
FAQ
Amstutz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Amstutz?
Name Census estimates that about 2,913 living Americans carry the surname Amstutz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 117,664 residents.
How common is Amstutz?
Amstutz ranks #11,793 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,540 people with the surname Amstutz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,913), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Amstutz.
Has Amstutz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Amstutz went from 2,412 recorded bearers to 2,540. That is an increase of 128 (+5.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,789 to #11,793.
What does the Census say about the background of Amstutz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Amstutz, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Amstutz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (2,380 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Amstutz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Amstutz (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 Amstutz mean?
A Swiss German habitational surname referring to someone living near a river crossing or bridge. 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 Amstutz (0.85 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 have the surname Amstutz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.