2000
#5,338
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,010
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.23
Rare Last name
Bixler
An occupational surname for someone who made wooden crates and boxes, derived from the German word "Büchsler."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,724 Americans carry the last name Bixler. That puts it at #5,695 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.96 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,975 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bixler 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
6.7K
1 in 50,975
Census rank
#5,695
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,864 bearers of the surname Bixler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.96 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5695th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bixler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bixler
The surname Bixler is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated as a surname in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in southern Germany. The name is derived from the German word "Bixel," which means "pickaxe" or "hatchet," and was likely an occupational surname given to someone who worked as a miner or quarryman.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Bixler name can be found in the records of the town of Nördlingen, located in the Swabian region of Bavaria. In the year 1591, a man named Hans Bixler is mentioned in a legal document related to a property dispute. This suggests that the name was already established in that area by the late 16th century.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Bixler surname began to spread beyond its original region, as families migrated to other parts of Germany and neighboring countries. In 1712, a Johannes Bixler is recorded as having been born in the town of Pfalzgrafenweiler, located in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg.
As the name spread, variations in spelling emerged, including Bixler, Bickler, and Bichler. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the inconsistent nature of record-keeping at the time.
One notable bearer of the Bixler name was Johann Adam Bixler, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1766 to 1843. He was a professor at the University of Tübingen and made significant contributions to the fields of ethics and aesthetics.
Another prominent figure was Carl Bixler, a German-American architect who was born in 1872 and died in 1933. He was known for his work on several prominent buildings in New York City, including the American Museum of Natural History and the Metropolitan Opera House.
In the United States, the Bixler surname can be traced back to the late 18th century, when German immigrants began arriving in significant numbers. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Jacob Bixler, who was born in Pennsylvania in 1774.
Over the centuries, the Bixler surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, craftsmen, professionals, and academics. While not a particularly common name, it has left its mark on the histories of both Germany and the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bixler
Among Census respondents with the surname Bixler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Bixler 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 Bixler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 5,376
- Two or more races3.2% · 189
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 179
- Black or African American0.8% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 44
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bixler
Bixler 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
#5,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,021
+11 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 416 places
2020
#5,695
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,864
-157 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 1.96
Rank movement Up 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,338 | 6,010 | 2.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,754 | 6,021 | 2.04 | +11 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 416 places |
| 2020 | #5,695 | 5,864 | 1.96 | -157 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 59 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 Bixler 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 | #5,754 | #5,695 | 1.0% |
| Count | 6,021 | 5,864 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.04 | 1.96 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bixler bearers went from 6,021 to 5,864 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,754 to #5,695.
FAQ
Bixler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bixler?
Name Census estimates that about 6,724 living Americans carry the surname Bixler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,975 residents.
How common is Bixler?
Bixler ranks #5,695 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.96 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 5,864 people with the surname Bixler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,724), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.96 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.96 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 Bixler.
Has Bixler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bixler went from 6,021 recorded bearers to 5,864. That is a decrease of 157 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,754 to #5,695.
What does the Census say about the background of Bixler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bixler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) 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 Bixler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (5,376 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bixler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.2%), 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 Bixler (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 Bixler mean?
An occupational surname for someone who made wooden crates and boxes, derived from the German word "Büchsler." 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 Bixler (1.96 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 Americans have the surname Bixler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.