2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gansner
A locational surname referring to someone from the German town of Gansner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Gansner. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gansner 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Gansner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gansner, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gansner
The surname GANSNER is of German origin, deriving from the Old German word "gans" meaning "goose". It is believed to have originally been an occupational name for a goose herder or someone who raised geese.
The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the 13th century in the town of Gansheim, located in the region of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The town's name is derived from the same root word, suggesting a strong connection to the GANSNER surname.
During the Middle Ages, the name appeared in various records and manuscripts, including the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltin, a collection of historical documents from the region of Anhalt, Germany, dating back to 1174. The spelling "Gansnere" was used to refer to a person with this occupation.
In the 16th century, the name was found in the town of Gansau, located in the Swabian region of Germany. This area was home to several families with the surname GANSNER, indicating it was well-established there.
One notable bearer of the name was Johann Gansner (1564-1636), a German theologian and author from Swabia. He wrote several influential works on Lutheran theology during the Protestant Reformation.
Another significant figure was Konrad Gansner (1720-1789), a German architect and builder from the town of Gansheim. He designed several churches and buildings that still stand in the region today.
In the 19th century, the GANSNER name spread to other parts of Europe as families migrated. One such individual was Wilhelm Gansner (1822-1892), a German immigrant to the United States who settled in Pennsylvania and worked as a farmer.
Another notable bearer was Elise Gansner (1872-1954), a German opera singer and soprano who performed in various opera houses across Europe during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
As the name traveled further, it took on various spellings, such as Gansner, Gansener, and Gansnehr, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
While the surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by families who emigrated from their homeland over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gansner
Among Census respondents with the surname Gansner, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gansner 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 Gansner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 111
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gansner
Gansner 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
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+4 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,578 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 3,578 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 Gansner 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 | #147,954 | 2.4% |
| Count | 108 | 112 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gansner bearers went from 108 to 112 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 3,578 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #147,954.
FAQ
Gansner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gansner?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Gansner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Gansner?
Gansner ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Gansner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Gansner.
Has Gansner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gansner went from 108 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 4 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Gansner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gansner, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Black (0.9%). 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 Gansner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gansner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Black (0.9%). 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 Gansner (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 Gansner mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from the German town of Gansner. 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 Gansner (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 Americans have the surname Gansner?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.