2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Argotsinger
A surname potentially derived from the Yiddish word for a profession or trade.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Argotsinger. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Argotsinger 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Argotsinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Argotsinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Argotsinger
The surname ARGOTSINGER has its origins tracing back to the 14th century in the region of Swabia, located in modern-day southwestern Germany. It is believed to have derived from a combination of the Middle High German words "argot", meaning deceitful or cunning, and "singer", referring to a person who sings or a singer by profession.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the ARGOTSINGER name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Salemitanus, a collection of charters and documents from the Benedictine monastery of Salem in the Black Forest region of Germany. In a charter dated 1372, there is a reference to a certain "Johannes Argotsingere", who was a wandering minstrel and court singer.
The name ARGOTSINGER is thought to have initially been an occupational surname, given to individuals who were known for their deceitful or cunning ways of performing as singers or entertainers. It is possible that the name was initially bestowed upon a particular individual who was known for their mischievous or trickster-like behavior while performing for audiences.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various municipal records and tax rolls across the German states of Württemberg and Baden-Württemberg. One notable individual from this period was Hans ARGOTSINGER, born in 1422 in the town of Esslingen am Neckar, who was a renowned court jester and singer at the court of Duke Eberhard V of Württemberg.
During the 16th century, the ARGOTSINGER name spread to other parts of Europe, including the Low Countries (modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands) and the Swiss Confederacy. In a manuscript from the city of Bern, Switzerland, dated 1578, there is a record of a certain "Peter ARGOTSINGER", who was a wandering musician and storyteller.
In the 17th century, the name gained prominence in France, where it was often spelled as "ARGOTSINGERE". One notable figure was Jean-Baptiste ARGOTSINGERE, born in 1643 in Paris, who was a celebrated opera singer and composer at the court of King Louis XIV.
Other notable individuals with the ARGOTSINGER surname throughout history include:
1. Wilhelm ARGOTSINGER (1784-1859), a German composer and conductor from Stuttgart.
2. Anna ARGOTSINGER (1803-1879), a Swiss novelist and poet from Zurich.
3. Franz ARGOTSINGER (1832-1898), an Austrian painter and illustrator from Vienna.
4. Heinrich ARGOTSINGER (1871-1942), a German philologist and linguist from Munich.
5. Marie ARGOTSINGER (1901-1976), a French actress and singer from Paris.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Argotsinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Argotsinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Argotsinger 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 Argotsinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 4
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Argotsinger
Argotsinger 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-9 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,272 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-12 bearers (-10.5%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,535 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 17,272 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.5%) | Down 9,535 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 Argotsinger 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 | #145,220 | #154,755 | -6.6% |
| Count | 114 | 102 | -10.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Argotsinger bearers went from 114 to 102 (-10.5% change). The surname moved down 9,535 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #154,755.
FAQ
Argotsinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Argotsinger?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Argotsinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Argotsinger?
Argotsinger ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Argotsinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Argotsinger.
Has Argotsinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Argotsinger went from 114 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Argotsinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Argotsinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Argotsinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Argotsinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (3.9%), Black (1.0%). 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 Argotsinger (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 Argotsinger mean?
A surname potentially derived from the Yiddish word for a profession or trade. 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 Argotsinger (0.03 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 Argotsinger?
See how common the surname Argotsinger is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.