2000
#66,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 276
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Assmann
A German surname derived from a dialectal word meaning "glutton" or "greedy eater".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 306 Americans carry the last name Assmann. That puts it at #77,462 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,120,112 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Assmann 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
306
1 in 1,120,112
Census rank
#77,462
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
267
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 267 bearers of the surname Assmann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 77462nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Assmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Assmann
The surname Assmann originated in Germany and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Germanic personal name "Asmund" or "Osmund," which means "divine protection." The name was likely first adopted as a surname by individuals residing in the regions of Saxony, Thuringia, and Silesia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Assmann surname appears in the town records of Bautzen, located in the present-day state of Saxony, Germany. In 1312, a certain "Johannes Assman" was listed as a resident of the town.
The surname Assmann also appears in various medieval documents and records, including the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the Kingdom of Saxony. In this collection, there are references to individuals bearing the name Assmann in the 14th and 15th centuries.
During the 16th century, the surname Assmann spread across different regions of Germany, with notable individuals bearing this name. One such person was Johann Assmann (1525-1592), a German theologian and reformer from Saxony, who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
Another notable figure was Georg Assmann (1565-1643), a German mathematician and astronomer from Thuringia. He made contributions to the development of logarithms and published several works on astronomy and mathematics.
In the 18th century, the Assmann surname gained prominence in the literary and academic circles of Germany. Friedrich Assmann (1742-1794) was a German poet and educator from Saxony, known for his writings on education and pedagogy.
The 19th century saw the rise of several individuals with the Assmann surname in various fields. One such person was Wilhelm Assmann (1822-1911), a German artist and painter from Saxony, renowned for his landscape paintings and depictions of rural life.
Another notable figure was Richard Assmann (1845-1918), a German meteorologist from Silesia. He made significant contributions to the study of atmospheric sciences and is credited with developing the Assmann aspiration psychrometer, an instrument used to measure humidity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Assmann
Among Census respondents with the surname Assmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Assmann 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 Assmann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 244
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 12
- Two or more races3.0% · 8
- Black or African American0.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Assmann
Assmann 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
#75,317
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 256
-20 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 8,439 places
2020
#77,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 267
+11 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 2,145 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #66,878 | 276 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #75,317 | 256 | 0.09 | -20 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 8,439 places |
| 2020 | #77,462 | 267 | 0.09 | +11 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 2,145 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 Assmann 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 | #75,317 | #77,462 | -2.8% |
| Count | 256 | 267 | 4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.09 | -0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Assmann bearers went from 256 to 267 (+4.3% change). The surname moved down 2,145 positions in the national ranking, going from #75,317 to #77,462.
FAQ
Assmann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Assmann?
Name Census estimates that about 306 living Americans carry the surname Assmann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,120,112 residents.
How common is Assmann?
Assmann ranks #77,462 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 267 people with the surname Assmann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (306), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Assmann.
Has Assmann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Assmann went from 256 recorded bearers to 267. That is an increase of 11 (+4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #75,317 to #77,462.
What does the Census say about the background of Assmann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Assmann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Assmann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (244 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Assmann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Assmann (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 Assmann mean?
A German surname derived from a dialectal word meaning "glutton" or "greedy eater". 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 Assmann (0.09 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 common is the surname Assmann?
Find out how many people have the last name Assmann on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.