2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Chostner
A Germanic surname potentially derived from a place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Chostner. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chostner 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Chostner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chostner, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chostner
The surname Chostner is believed to have originated in the Germanic regions of central Europe, likely in the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to have derived from an older Germanic word or phrase, possibly referring to a particular occupation or geographic location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Chostner name can be found in a 14th-century tax record from the town of Nuremberg, where a "Johannes Chostner" is listed as a resident. This suggests that the name may have roots in the Franconian region of modern-day Germany.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Hans Chostner (1490-1567) was a renowned clockmaker and engineer in the city of Augsburg. His intricate astronomical clocks and mechanical devices were highly sought after by noble patrons across Europe.
Another notable Chostner was Matthias Chostner (1572-1631), a Lutheran theologian and pastor who served in the city of Dresden during the early years of the Protestant Reformation. His writings and sermons were influential in spreading the teachings of Martin Luther in Saxony.
During the 17th century, the Chostner name appeared in various records across central Europe, with families bearing the surname found in regions such as Bohemia, Silesia, and the Palatinate. One example is Johann Christoph Chostner (1635-1702), a respected jurist and legal scholar who served as a magistrate in the city of Prague.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure named Friedrich Chostner (1721-1789) was a successful merchant and business owner in the city of Vienna. His trading company established extensive commercial ties throughout the Habsburg Empire and beyond.
Another notable bearer of the Chostner name was Karl Chostner (1876-1942), a German-Austrian architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings and public spaces in the cities of Munich and Vienna in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chostner
Among Census respondents with the surname Chostner, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Chostner 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 Chostner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.4% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 6
- Two or more races5.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chostner
Chostner 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+15 bearers (+14.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,179 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-3 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,072 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.9%) | Up 6,179 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 4,072 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 Chostner 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 | #143,149 | #147,221 | -2.8% |
| Count | 116 | 113 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chostner bearers went from 116 to 113 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 4,072 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #147,221.
FAQ
Chostner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chostner?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Chostner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Chostner?
Chostner ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Chostner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Chostner.
Has Chostner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chostner went from 116 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Chostner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chostner, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Chostner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.4% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chostner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.4%), Hispanic (5.3%), Two or More Races (5.3%). 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 Chostner (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 Chostner mean?
A Germanic surname potentially derived from a place name or occupation. 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 Chostner (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 share the surname Chostner?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.