2000
#14,544
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,879
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.70
Rare Last name
Anspach
A toponymic surname derived from a place name in Germany, likely referring to the town of Ansbach.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,056 Americans carry the last name Anspach. That puts it at #15,680 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,709 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Anspach 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
2.1K
1 in 166,709
Census rank
#15,680
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,793 bearers of the surname Anspach in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15680th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Anspach, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Anspach
The surname Anspach originates from Germany and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the German place name Ansbach, which was the capital of the former Margraviate of Ansbach. The name Ansbach is believed to come from the Old High German words "ans" meaning "grace" and "bach" meaning "brook" or "stream", suggesting it was originally named after a graceful or favored brook or stream in the region.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Anspach appears in the 12th century, when the Burgraviate of Nuremberg, which included the town of Ansbach, was established. In 1398, the Burgraviate was elevated to the status of a Margraviate, and the ruling family took on the name Anspach.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Anspach was Joachim Ernst, Margrave of Ansbach, who lived from 1625 to 1696. He was a prominent military commander during the Thirty Years' War and later served as the Governor of the Spanish Netherlands.
Another prominent figure with the Anspach name was Christian Frederick Charles Alexander, Margrave of Ansbach, who lived from 1736 to 1806. He was the last Margrave of Ansbach and played a significant role in the formation of the Kingdom of Bavaria.
In the 18th century, the Anspach-Bayreuth troops, named after the Margraviate of Ansbach-Bayreuth, were renowned mercenary soldiers who fought in various conflicts, including the American Revolutionary War. Their participation in the war is well documented in historical records.
Beyond the Margraviate of Ansbach, the name Anspach has also been associated with other notable individuals throughout history. Johann Baptist Anspach, born in 1770, was a German Catholic priest and renowned botanist who made significant contributions to the study of plant life.
Another individual of note was Johann Friedrich Anspach, a German composer and musician who lived from 1776 to 1827. He was known for his compositions for the violin and his contributions to the development of musical education in Germany.
While the surname Anspach has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and historical events. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval town of Ansbach and the Margraviate that bore its name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Anspach
Among Census respondents with the surname Anspach, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Anspach 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 Anspach surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 1,654
- Two or more races3.7% · 66
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 20
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Anspach
Anspach 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
#14,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,051
+172 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Up 12 places
2020
#15,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,793
-258 bearers (-12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 1,148 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,544 | 1,879 | 0.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,532 | 2,051 | 0.70 | +172 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 12 places |
| 2020 | #15,680 | 1,793 | 0.60 | -258 bearers (-12.6%) | Down 1,148 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 Anspach 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 | #14,532 | #15,680 | -7.9% |
| Count | 2,051 | 1,793 | -12.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.60 | -14.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Anspach bearers went from 2,051 to 1,793 (-12.6% change). The surname moved down 1,148 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,532 to #15,680.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Anspach
FAQ
Anspach surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Anspach?
Name Census estimates that about 2,056 living Americans carry the surname Anspach. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,709 residents.
How common is Anspach?
Anspach ranks #15,680 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,793 people with the surname Anspach. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,056), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Anspach.
Has Anspach become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Anspach went from 2,051 recorded bearers to 1,793. That is a decrease of 258 (-12.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,532 to #15,680.
What does the Census say about the background of Anspach?
Among Census respondents with the surname Anspach, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Anspach in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (1,654 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Anspach appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Anspach (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 Anspach mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name in Germany, likely referring to the town of Ansbach. 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 Anspach (0.60 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 Anspach?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.