2000
#6,176
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.89
Rare Last name
Armbruster
An occupational surname for a crossbow maker or a soldier armed with a crossbow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,376 Americans carry the last name Armbruster. That puts it at #6,906 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,756 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Armbruster 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
5.4K
1 in 63,756
Census rank
#6,906
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,688 bearers of the surname Armbruster in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6906th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Armbruster, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Armbruster
The surname Armbruster has its roots in Germany, originating in the Middle Ages, likely in the 13th or 14th century. The name is derived from the German words "Arm" meaning "arm" and "Bruster" meaning "protector" or "guard", suggesting it may have originally referred to someone whose occupation involved protecting others with their arms or strength.
The earliest known recorded instances of the name Armbruster can be found in various historical documents from the 14th and 15th centuries in German-speaking regions. For example, there are records of an individual named Hanns Armbruster in Esslingen, Germany, in the year 1395. Another early reference is to a certain Peter Armbruster who lived in Nuremberg in the late 15th century.
Throughout the centuries, the name Armbruster has been associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Johann Armbruster (1557-1621), a German theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Tübingen and authored several works on metaphysics and logic. Another was Georg Armbruster (1637-1704), a renowned German architect and builder who was responsible for the construction of several churches and castles in the Palatinate region of Germany.
In the 18th century, Johann Michael Armbruster (1711-1784) was a prominent German mapmaker and engraver who produced detailed maps of various regions in Germany and Switzerland. His work was highly regarded and widely used by both military and civilian authorities.
Moving into the 19th century, Karl Armbruster (1846-1917) was a German painter and illustrator known for his vivid depictions of historical scenes and landscapes. His works were widely exhibited and can be found in various museums across Germany.
Another notable figure with the surname Armbruster was Friedrich Armbruster (1883-1944), a German jurist and legal scholar who played a significant role in shaping the modern German legal system. He served as a judge and professor of law at several prestigious universities and authored numerous publications on civil and commercial law.
While the surname Armbruster originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and the world due to migration and immigration patterns. However, its historical roots and connections to the German language and culture remain firmly established.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Armbruster
Among Census respondents with the surname Armbruster, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Armbruster 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 Armbruster surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 4,350
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 140
- Two or more races2.7% · 125
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 36
- Black or African American0.5% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Armbruster
Armbruster 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
#6,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,345
+236 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.81
Rank movement Down 191 places
2020
#6,906
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,688
-657 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 539 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,176 | 5,109 | 1.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,367 | 5,345 | 1.81 | +236 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 191 places |
| 2020 | #6,906 | 4,688 | 1.57 | -657 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 539 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 Armbruster 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 | #6,367 | #6,906 | -8.5% |
| Count | 5,345 | 4,688 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.81 | 1.57 | -13.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Armbruster bearers went from 5,345 to 4,688 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 539 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,367 to #6,906.
FAQ
Armbruster surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Armbruster?
Name Census estimates that about 5,376 living Americans carry the surname Armbruster. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,756 residents.
How common is Armbruster?
Armbruster ranks #6,906 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,688 people with the surname Armbruster. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,376), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Armbruster.
Has Armbruster become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Armbruster went from 5,345 recorded bearers to 4,688. That is a decrease of 657 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,367 to #6,906.
What does the Census say about the background of Armbruster?
Among Census respondents with the surname Armbruster, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Armbruster in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (4,350 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Armbruster appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Armbruster (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 Armbruster mean?
An occupational surname for a crossbow maker or a soldier armed with a crossbow. 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 Armbruster (1.57 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 Armbruster?
You can see how many people have the last name Armbruster on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.