2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dessner
A German surname denoting someone from the region of Dessner or a name derived from Tess.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 141 Americans carry the last name Dessner. That puts it at #139,785 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,430,882 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dessner 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
141
1 in 2,430,882
Census rank
#139,785
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
123
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 123 bearers of the surname Dessner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 139785th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dessner, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dessner
The surname Dessner is thought to have originated in Germany, likely in the late 17th or early 18th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "dussner," which referred to a type of coarse woolen cloth. This suggests that the name may have been associated with someone who worked in the textile industry, either as a weaver or a merchant of this particular fabric.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dessner can be found in the baptismal records of St. Nikolai Church in Leipzig, Germany, where a child named Johann Dessner was baptized in 1712. This indicates that the name was already in use in this region during the early 18th century.
In the late 18th century, the name appears in various records from the town of Gräfenhainichen, located in the modern-day state of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. This includes mentions of individuals such as Christian Dessner, born in 1786, and his son, Johann Gottlieb Dessner, born in 1818.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold in the 19th century, many individuals with the surname Dessner likely moved from rural areas to urban centers in search of employment opportunities. One notable example is Friedrich Wilhelm Dessner, born in 1832 in the village of Frohburg, who later became a successful businessman and merchant in the city of Leipzig.
Another individual of historical significance was Johann Gottfried Dessner, born in 1795 in the town of Borna, near Leipzig. He was a renowned clockmaker and horologist, whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after by collectors and nobility throughout Europe.
In the 20th century, one of the most prominent figures with the surname Dessner was the German composer and music theorist Paul Dessner, born in 1905 in the city of Nuremberg. He was a renowned educator and a pioneer in the field of electronic music composition.
Throughout its history, the surname Dessner has been associated with various trades and professions, from textile workers and merchants to artisans and academics. While its origins can be traced back to Germany, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by individuals who sought new opportunities and horizons.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dessner
Among Census respondents with the surname Dessner, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dessner 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 Dessner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.4% · 121
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dessner
Dessner 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-5 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,028 places
2020
#139,785
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+17 bearers (+16.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,984 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 15,028 places |
| 2020 | #139,785 | 123 | 0.04 | +17 bearers (+16.0%) | Up 13,984 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 Dessner 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 | #153,769 | #139,785 | 9.1% |
| Count | 106 | 123 | 16.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dessner bearers went from 106 to 123 (+16.0% change). The surname moved up 13,984 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #139,785.
FAQ
Dessner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dessner?
Name Census estimates that about 141 living Americans carry the surname Dessner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,430,882 residents.
How common is Dessner?
Dessner ranks #139,785 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 123 people with the surname Dessner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (141), 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 Dessner.
Has Dessner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dessner went from 106 recorded bearers to 123. That is an increase of 17 (+16.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #139,785.
What does the Census say about the background of Dessner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dessner, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Dessner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.4% (121 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dessner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.4%), Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Dessner (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 Dessner mean?
A German surname denoting someone from the region of Dessner or a name derived from Tess. 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 Dessner (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 Dessner?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.