2000
#13,297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.78
Rare Last name
Balser
Derived from the German word "Balzer," referring to someone who operated a medieval siege engine or catapult.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,413 Americans carry the last name Balser. That puts it at #13,768 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 142,045 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Balser 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
2.4K
1 in 142,045
Census rank
#13,768
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,104 bearers of the surname Balser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13768th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Balser, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Balser
The surname Balser is of German origin, traced back to the Middle Ages in the regions of Bavaria and Franconia. It is derived from the German personal name Balthasar, which itself originates from the Aramaic name Belshazzar, meaning "Bel protects the king." This biblical name was borne by the last king of Babylon, mentioned in the Book of Daniel.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Balser can be found in medieval German records, such as the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae and the Monumenta Germaniae Historica, dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries. These records often referred to individuals with variations of the name, such as Balthser, Baltzer, or Balzer.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Balser was Johann Balser, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1738 to 1799. He was born in Bamberg, Bavaria, and is known for his religious paintings and engravings, many of which can be found in churches across Germany.
Another prominent individual with the surname Balser was Johann Baptist Balser, a German composer and organist who lived from 1645 to 1726. He was born in Tübingen and served as the court organist for the Prince of Württemberg-Neuenstadt.
In the 18th century, the Balser surname was also found in Switzerland, particularly in the canton of Lucerne. One notable Swiss figure was Johann Jakob Balser, a politician and lawyer who lived from 1733 to 1807. He served as the Mayor of Lucerne and played a significant role in the city's affairs during the turbulent period of the French Revolutionary Wars.
Moving to the 19th century, one notable bearer of the Balser surname was Johann Georg Balser, a German architect born in 1818 in Nuremberg. He is credited with designing several notable buildings in his hometown, including the Nuremberg State Theatre and the Nuremberg Synagogue.
Another individual of note was Friedrich Balser, a German chemist who lived from 1857 to 1936. He made significant contributions to the field of organic chemistry and is best known for his work on the synthesis of indigo dyes.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Balser, which has its roots in the German regions of Bavaria and Franconia, tracing back to the Middle Ages and the biblical name Belshazzar.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Balser
Among Census respondents with the surname Balser, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Balser 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 Balser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 1,942
- Two or more races3.3% · 70
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 65
- Black or African American0.7% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Balser
Balser 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
#13,278
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,297
+193 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Up 19 places
2020
#13,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,104
-193 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 490 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,297 | 2,104 | 0.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,278 | 2,297 | 0.78 | +193 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 19 places |
| 2020 | #13,768 | 2,104 | 0.70 | -193 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 490 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 Balser 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 | #13,278 | #13,768 | -3.7% |
| Count | 2,297 | 2,104 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.78 | 0.70 | -9.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Balser bearers went from 2,297 to 2,104 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 490 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,278 to #13,768.
FAQ
Balser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Balser?
Name Census estimates that about 2,413 living Americans carry the surname Balser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 142,045 residents.
How common is Balser?
Balser ranks #13,768 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.70 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 2,104 people with the surname Balser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,413), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.70 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 Balser.
Has Balser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Balser went from 2,297 recorded bearers to 2,104. That is a decrease of 193 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,278 to #13,768.
What does the Census say about the background of Balser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Balser, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Balser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (1,942 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Balser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Balser (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 Balser mean?
Derived from the German word "Balzer," referring to someone who operated a medieval siege engine or catapult. 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 Balser (0.70 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 last name Balser?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Balser on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.