2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Bansen
A variant spelling of the German surname Bansen, referring to someone from the town of Bansen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Bansen. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bansen 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Bansen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bansen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bansen
The surname Bansen has its origins in Germany, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Old German word "banse," which means "a bundle" or "a bunch." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a person involved in the trade or transportation of bundles or goods.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bansen surname can be found in the town records of Lübeck, a city in northern Germany, where a merchant named Hans Bansen was documented in 1567. This provides evidence that the name was already established in the region during the mid-16th century.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various church records and tax registers across different parts of Germany, indicating its spread and establishment as a surname. For instance, a record from 1632 mentions a Johann Bansen from the town of Rostock, while a tax register from Hanover in 1679 lists a family headed by a Andreas Bansen.
As the name gained recognition, it was also associated with notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Johann Bansen (1640-1712), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Jena. His works on ethics and metaphysics were highly regarded during his time.
Another prominent bearer of the Bansen surname was Wilhelm Bansen (1856-1925), a German architect who contributed significantly to the design of several notable buildings in Berlin, including the Reichsbank (Imperial Bank) and the Anhalter Bahnhof (Anhalter Railway Station).
In the realm of literature, the name gained recognition through the works of Theodor Bansen (1888-1957), a German novelist and playwright. His most acclaimed work, "Der Weg nach Zion" (The Road to Zion), published in 1932, explored themes of Jewish identity and the struggle for a homeland.
While the Bansen surname is predominantly found in Germany, it has also been documented in other parts of Europe, particularly in the Netherlands and Scandinavia. However, the majority of historical records and notable individuals associated with this name can be traced back to its German origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bansen
Among Census respondents with the surname Bansen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Bansen 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 Bansen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bansen
Bansen 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-14 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,785 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
+7 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,379 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 23,785 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.7%) | Up 7,379 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 Bansen 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 | #156,044 | #148,665 | 4.7% |
| Count | 104 | 111 | 6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bansen bearers went from 104 to 111 (+6.7% change). The surname moved up 7,379 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #148,665.
FAQ
Bansen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bansen?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Bansen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Bansen?
Bansen ranks #148,665 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 111 people with the surname Bansen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Bansen.
Has Bansen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bansen went from 104 recorded bearers to 111. That is an increase of 7 (+6.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Bansen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bansen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Bansen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bansen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Bansen (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 Bansen mean?
A variant spelling of the German surname Bansen, referring to someone from the town of Bansen. 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 Bansen (0.04 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 Bansen?
Want to know how many people are called Bansen? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.