2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Geisner
A German surname derived from the Middle High German word "geiz" meaning goat, likely referring to someone who kept goats.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Geisner. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Geisner 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Geisner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Geisner, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Black (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Geisner
The surname GEISNER originated in Germany, likely emerging during the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Geisser," which referred to a goatherd or someone who tended to goats. This occupation-based surname suggests that the earliest bearers of the GEISNER name were involved in pastoral work or lived in areas where goat herding was a common profession.
The earliest recorded instances of the GEISNER surname can be traced back to various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Thuringia. While it is difficult to pinpoint the exact origin of the name, some historians have speculated that it may have originated in the southern regions of Germany, where goat herding was more prevalent due to the mountainous terrain.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the GEISNER name can be found in the Stadtbücher (town records) of Nuremberg, dating back to the late 15th century. These records mention a certain Hans Geisner, a merchant and landowner who lived in the city during that time period.
In the 16th century, the GEISNER surname appeared in various church records and tax registers across different German states. Notable individuals from this period include Johann Geisner (1555-1613), a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Jena, and Georg Geisner (1573-1645), a German jurist and legal scholar.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the GEISNER name spread throughout various regions of Central Europe as families migrated and settled in new areas. One notable figure from this time period was Johann Daniel Geisner (1677-1745), a German botanist and physician who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy.
In the 19th century, the GEISNER surname continued to be prevalent in Germany, with several notable individuals bearing the name. These include Johann Geisner (1805-1886), a German painter and lithographer known for his landscapes and architectural works, and Heinrich Geisner (1814-1879), a German jurist and politician who served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives.
Throughout history, the GEISNER surname has been associated with various professions, including scholars, artists, politicians, and tradespeople. While the name may have originated from humble beginnings as a reference to goatherds, it has since gained recognition in various fields and continues to be carried on by families across the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geisner
Among Census respondents with the surname Geisner, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Black (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Geisner 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 Geisner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.5% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino6.0% · 7
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Geisner
Geisner 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
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,225 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 2,225 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 Geisner 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 | #147,253 | #145,028 | 1.5% |
| Count | 112 | 116 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Geisner bearers went from 112 to 116 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 2,225 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #145,028.
FAQ
Geisner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Geisner?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Geisner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Geisner?
Geisner ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Geisner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Geisner.
Has Geisner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Geisner went from 112 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 4 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Geisner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Geisner, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.0%) and Black (2.6%). 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 Geisner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Geisner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.5%), Hispanic (6.0%), Black (2.6%). 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 Geisner (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 Geisner mean?
A German surname derived from the Middle High German word "geiz" meaning goat, likely referring to someone who kept goats. 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 Geisner (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 have the last name Geisner?
Want to know how common the surname Geisner is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.