2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Binswanger
A surname of German origin referring to a person from Binswangen, Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Binswanger. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Binswanger 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Binswanger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Binswanger, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Binswanger
The surname Binswanger is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated from the town of Binswangen, located in the region of Bavaria, Germany. The name itself is a combination of the Old German words "Bine," meaning "bee," and "wangen," meaning "meadow" or "field." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person who lived near or owned a meadow where bees were kept for honey production.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Binswanger name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Monasterii Campililiensis, a collection of historical documents from the Monastery of Kempten, dating back to the 12th century. This document mentions a certain "Hermannus de Bineswangin" in the year 1175, indicating the presence of the Binswanger family in the region during that era.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various official records, including the Liber Censuum, a papal census conducted in 1192. This document lists a "Cunradus de Bineswangen" as a landowner in the town of Binswangen.
One of the earliest notable individuals bearing the Binswanger name was Heinrich Binswanger, a German scholar and theologian who lived in the 15th century (1420-1488). He was known for his work on ecclesiastical law and served as a canon at the Cathedral of Augsburg.
During the Renaissance period, the Binswanger family gained prominence in the field of medicine. Johannes Binswanger (1530-1599) was a renowned physician and author of several medical treatises, including "De Causis Morborum" (On the Causes of Diseases).
In the 19th century, Otto Binswanger (1852-1929) was a renowned Swiss psychiatrist and neurologist. He made significant contributions to the study of mental disorders and established the Bellevue Sanatorium in Kreuzlingen, Switzerland, which became a renowned center for psychiatric treatment.
Another prominent figure with the Binswanger surname was the German-American businessman and philanthropist Ludwig Binswanger (1820-1891), who founded the Binswanger Glass Company in the United States and became a successful industrialist.
It's worth noting that variations of the spelling, such as Binswanger, Bineswanger, and Bineswangen, can be found throughout historical records, reflecting the evolution of the name over time and across different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Binswanger
Among Census respondents with the surname Binswanger, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Binswanger 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 Binswanger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.3% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino13.2% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Binswanger
Binswanger 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-12 bearers (-10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,089 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+13 bearers (+12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,223 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -12 bearers (-10.0%) | Down 21,089 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.0%) | Up 10,223 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 Binswanger 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 | #151,532 | #141,309 | 6.7% |
| Count | 108 | 121 | 12.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Binswanger bearers went from 108 to 121 (+12.0% change). The surname moved up 10,223 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #141,309.
FAQ
Binswanger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Binswanger?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Binswanger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Binswanger?
Binswanger ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Binswanger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Binswanger.
Has Binswanger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Binswanger went from 108 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 13 (+12.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Binswanger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Binswanger, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.2%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%). 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 Binswanger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.3% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Binswanger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.3%), Hispanic (13.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%). 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 Binswanger (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 Binswanger mean?
A surname of German origin referring to a person from Binswangen, Germany. 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 Binswanger (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 have the surname Binswanger?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.