2000
#10,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,952
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.09
Rare Last name
Gasser
An occupational surname for someone who worked with geese, such as a goose herder or breeder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,244 Americans carry the last name Gasser. That puts it at #10,777 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,658 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gasser 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gasser with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 105,658
Census rank
#10,777
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,829 bearers of the surname Gasser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10777th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gasser, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gasser
The surname GASSER has its origins in Germany and Switzerland, where it was derived from the Old German word "gassa," meaning "street" or "alley." It was likely an occupational name for someone who lived near or worked on a street, such as a street vendor or merchant.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 13th century Swiss records of Zürich, which mention a "Heinricus Gassere" in 1264. The name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the southern regions of Germany and the northern regions of Switzerland during the Middle Ages.
In the 14th century, the name GASSER was recorded in the town of Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, where a "Henslinus Gasser" is mentioned in a document from 1342. This region, located in the Black Forest area, seems to have been a stronghold for the name during this period.
One notable individual with the GASSER surname was Hans Gasser, a Swiss painter and engraver who lived in the 16th century (c. 1500-1573). He was renowned for his woodcuts and engravings depicting religious and allegorical scenes.
Another prominent figure was Johann Matthias Gasser, an Austrian botanist and physician who lived from 1723 to 1805. He made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and was a member of the prestigious Royal Academy of Sciences in Vienna.
In the realm of literature, Johann Baptist Gasser (1815-1891) was a German writer and poet from Bavaria. He is best known for his collection of folk tales and legends, which helped preserve the oral traditions of the region.
Moving into the 19th century, we find Johann Gasser (1829-1903), an Austrian architect and designer who played a significant role in the development of the Ringstraße in Vienna, a prestigious boulevard lined with grand buildings and monuments.
Finally, one cannot overlook the achievements of Kaspar Gasser (1595-1646), a Swiss Benedictine monk and scholar who made important contributions to the study of ancient Greek and Latin texts, as well as to the field of mathematics.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the surname GASSER throughout history, reflecting its deep roots in the German and Swiss regions and its presence across various fields of endeavor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gasser
Among Census respondents with the surname Gasser, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gasser 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 Gasser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.8% · 2,681
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 69
- Two or more races1.5% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gasser
Gasser 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
#10,596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,024
+72 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Down 527 places
2020
#10,777
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,829
-195 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 181 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,069 | 2,952 | 1.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,596 | 3,024 | 1.03 | +72 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 527 places |
| 2020 | #10,777 | 2,829 | 0.95 | -195 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 181 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 Gasser 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 | #10,596 | #10,777 | -1.7% |
| Count | 3,024 | 2,829 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 0.95 | -8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gasser bearers went from 3,024 to 2,829 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 181 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,596 to #10,777.
FAQ
Gasser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gasser?
Name Census estimates that about 3,244 living Americans carry the surname Gasser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,658 residents.
How common is Gasser?
Gasser ranks #10,777 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,829 people with the surname Gasser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,244), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gasser.
Has Gasser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gasser went from 3,024 recorded bearers to 2,829. That is a decrease of 195 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,596 to #10,777.
What does the Census say about the background of Gasser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gasser, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.4%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Gasser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.8% (2,681 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gasser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.8%), Hispanic (2.4%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Gasser (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 Gasser mean?
An occupational surname for someone who worked with geese, such as a goose herder or breeder. 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 Gasser (0.95 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 last name Gasser?
Want to know how many people have the surname Gasser? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.