2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ganshert
A surname of Germanic origins that could refer to a person from a place or town called Gansert.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Ganshert. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ganshert 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Ganshert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ganshert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ganshert
The surname Ganshert is believed to have originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "gans," meaning "goose," and may have been initially used as a nickname for someone who resembled or dealt with geese in some way.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, where a certain Hans Ganshert was mentioned in 1567. This entry suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
In the late 17th century, the name appears in various records from the Palatinate region of Germany, particularly in the area around the town of Kaiserslautern. A notable example is Johann Ganshert, born in 1683, who was a respected farmer and landowner in the village of Enkenbach.
As the Ganshert family grew and spread throughout Germany, variations in spelling emerged, such as Ganschart, Ganshart, and Ganssert. These alternative forms were likely influenced by regional dialects and scribal errors in transcribing the name.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, several individuals bearing the Ganshert name achieved prominence in various fields. Among them was Friedrich Ganshert (1794-1876), a renowned theologian and professor at the University of Heidelberg, and Wilhelm Ganshert (1855-1932), a celebrated painter and illustrator from Munich.
Another notable figure was Johanna Ganshert (1819-1891), a pioneering educator who founded one of the first schools for girls in the city of Cologne. Her efforts were instrumental in promoting women's education in the region.
As with many German surnames, the Ganshert name was carried across the Atlantic by emigrants seeking new opportunities in the Americas. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Peter Ganshert, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1749, seeking religious freedom and economic prospects.
While the name Ganshert is not among the most common surnames today, it has left a lasting imprint on the historical record, spanning centuries and reflecting the diverse experiences of those who have borne it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ganshert
Among Census respondents with the surname Ganshert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ganshert 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 Ganshert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 5
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ganshert
Ganshert appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-6 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 1,913 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | -6 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 1,913 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 Ganshert 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 | #155,682 | -1.2% |
| Count | 106 | 100 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ganshert bearers went from 106 to 100 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 1,913 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #155,682.
FAQ
Ganshert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ganshert?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Ganshert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Ganshert?
Ganshert ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Ganshert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Ganshert.
Has Ganshert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ganshert went from 106 recorded bearers to 100. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Ganshert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ganshert, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Ganshert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ganshert appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (5.0%), Black (1.0%). 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 Ganshert (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 Ganshert mean?
A surname of Germanic origins that could refer to a person from a place or town called Gansert. 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 Ganshert (0.03 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 Ganshert?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.