2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Geisendorff
A locational surname derived from a place named Geisendorf or Geisendorff in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Geisendorff. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Geisendorff 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Geisendorff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Geisendorff, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Geisendorff
The surname Geisendorff originated in Germany, likely in the region of Bavaria or Franconia, during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old German words "geiz" meaning "goat" and "dorf" meaning "village," suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived in or came from a village associated with goats.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Geisendorff can be found in the Codex Diplomatus, a collection of medieval documents from the Benedictine monastery of Fulda in Hesse, dating back to the 9th century. In this record, a certain "Geizdorff" is mentioned as a landowner in the region.
During the 13th century, the name Geisendorff appears in several historical records from the region of Franconia, including the Annales Francorum, which chronicles the events of the Frankish kingdom. One notable individual bearing this name was Konrad von Geisendorff, a knight who participated in the Crusades and was recorded as being present at the siege of Acre in 1191.
In the 15th century, the Geisendorff family emerged as a prominent noble lineage in Bavaria, with several members holding important positions in the court of the Dukes of Bavaria. One such individual was Hans von Geisendorff (1455-1521), who served as a diplomat and advisor to Duke Albrecht IV.
The name Geisendorff can also be traced back to various place names in Germany, such as the village of Geisendorf in Upper Bavaria, which may have been the original location associated with the surname. Variations in spelling, such as "Geisendorf," "Geizdorf," and "Geyzendorff," were common in historical records.
Other notable figures bearing the surname Geisendorff include:
1. Johanna Geisendorff (1630-1698), a German painter and engraver known for her detailed botanical illustrations.
2. Friedrich von Geisendorff (1768-1842), a Prussian military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars.
3. Karl Geisendorff (1811-1890), a German philosopher and author, known for his works on metaphysics and ethics.
4. Theodor Geisendorff (1841-1917), a German architect and urban planner who designed several prominent buildings in Berlin.
5. Elisabeth von Geisendorff (1887-1967), a German painter and sculptor, known for her expressionist works and association with the Bauhaus movement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geisendorff
Among Census respondents with the surname Geisendorff, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Geisendorff 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 Geisendorff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.5% · 109
- Two or more races3.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Geisendorff
Geisendorff 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+14 bearers (+11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 3,117 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-20 bearers (-15.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,972 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +14 bearers (+11.8%) | Up 3,117 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-15.0%) | Down 18,972 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 Geisendorff 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 | #128,249 | #147,221 | -14.8% |
| Count | 133 | 113 | -15.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -24.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Geisendorff bearers went from 133 to 113 (-15.0% change). The surname moved down 18,972 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #147,221.
FAQ
Geisendorff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Geisendorff?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Geisendorff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Geisendorff?
Geisendorff ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Geisendorff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Geisendorff.
Has Geisendorff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Geisendorff went from 133 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 20 (-15.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Geisendorff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Geisendorff, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Geisendorff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.5% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Geisendorff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.5%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Geisendorff (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 Geisendorff mean?
A locational surname derived from a place named Geisendorf or Geisendorff in Germany. 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 Geisendorff (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 share the surname Geisendorff?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.