Find out how popular the last name Ganss is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ganss.

Ganss, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ganss surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ganss in America

Ganss is the 110825th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ganss surname appeared 159 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Ganss.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ganss to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ganss

The surname Ganss is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "Gans," meaning "goose." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who raised or traded in geese.

One of the earliest documented references to the Ganss name can be found in the records of the town of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Ganss was mentioned in a document from 1568. Other early instances of the name include Johannes Ganss, a farmer from the village of Oberkirchen, whose birth was recorded in 1593.

In the 17th century, the Ganss surname began to appear in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Westphalia. During this period, variations in spelling emerged, such as Gans, Ganse, and Gantz. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.

Notable individuals bearing the Ganss surname include Johann Ganss (1592-1635), a Lutheran theologian and author from Saxony, and Georg Ganss (1685-1759), a German composer and organist who lived and worked in the city of Nuremberg.

As the Ganss family spread across Germany and into neighboring regions, the name also found its way into historical records in other parts of Europe. For instance, in the Netherlands, a certain Pieter Ganss was recorded as a merchant in the city of Amsterdam in the late 17th century.

Other notable individuals with the Ganss surname include Friedrich Ganss (1808-1891), a German mathematician and surveyor who contributed significantly to the field of geodesy, and Karl Ganss (1837-1912), a German architect best known for his design of the Künstlerhaus in Munich.

Throughout its history, the Ganss surname has maintained a strong presence in various parts of Germany, with concentrations in regions such as Bavaria, Saxony, and Westphalia. While the name has also spread to other parts of the world through immigration, its origins can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of central Europe.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ganss

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ganss.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ganss was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ganss has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ganss was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ganss, please contact us.

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