2000
#12,893
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,188
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Geissler
An occupational surname derived from the German word for goatherd or keeper of goats.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,323 Americans carry the last name Geissler. That puts it at #14,226 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 147,548 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Geissler 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
2.3K
1 in 147,548
Census rank
#14,226
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,026 bearers of the surname Geissler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14226th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Geissler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Geissler
The surname Geissler is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Middle High German word "geizer," which means "goat herder" or "goatherd." This occupational surname likely originated among families or individuals who worked as goat herders or reared goats for a living.
In its earliest known records, the name appeared with various spellings, including Geysler, Geiszler, and Geissler. These variations reflect the regional dialects and local pronunciations in different parts of German-speaking lands where the name was prevalent.
One of the earliest documented instances of the surname Geissler can be found in the Biberacher Urbaren, a historical register of property owners and tenants from the town of Biberach in southern Germany, dating back to the late 15th century.
As the name spread across different regions, it became associated with certain locations, giving rise to place names like Geisselhardt, a village in Bavaria, and Geisselberg, a hill near the town of Witzenhausen in Hesse.
Notable individuals bearing the surname Geissler include:
1. Christian Gottlieb Geissler (1730-1790), a German physicist and glassblower known for his contributions to the development of vacuum tubes, including the Geissler tube, which bears his name.
2. Johann Georg Geissler (1784-1869), a German architect and builder who designed numerous churches and public buildings in and around Leipzig.
3. Ernst Geissler (1858-1934), a German industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Geissler company, which manufactured scientific instruments and laboratory equipment.
4. Max Geissler (1868-1945), a German lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Reichstag, the parliament of the German Empire, in the early 20th century.
5. Erwin Geissler (1913-1995), a German athlete and Olympic champion in the decathlon event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.
While the Geissler surname may have originated from humble beginnings associated with goat herding, it has since spread across various regions and has been borne by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including scientists, architects, industrialists, politicians, and athletes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geissler
Among Census respondents with the surname Geissler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Geissler 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 Geissler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 1,884
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 66
- Two or more races3.0% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Geissler
Geissler 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
#12,637
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,449
+261 bearers (+11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 256 places
2020
#14,226
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,026
-423 bearers (-17.3%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 1,589 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,893 | 2,188 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,637 | 2,449 | 0.83 | +261 bearers (+11.9%) | Up 256 places |
| 2020 | #14,226 | 2,026 | 0.68 | -423 bearers (-17.3%) | Down 1,589 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 Geissler 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 | #12,637 | #14,226 | -12.6% |
| Count | 2,449 | 2,026 | -17.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.68 | -18.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Geissler bearers went from 2,449 to 2,026 (-17.3% change). The surname moved down 1,589 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,637 to #14,226.
FAQ
Geissler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Geissler?
Name Census estimates that about 2,323 living Americans carry the surname Geissler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 147,548 residents.
How common is Geissler?
Geissler ranks #14,226 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.68 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 2,026 people with the surname Geissler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,323), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.68 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 Geissler.
Has Geissler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Geissler went from 2,449 recorded bearers to 2,026. That is a decrease of 423 (-17.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,637 to #14,226.
What does the Census say about the background of Geissler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Geissler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Geissler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (1,884 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Geissler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Geissler (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 Geissler mean?
An occupational surname derived from the German word for goatherd or keeper of 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 Geissler (0.68 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 surname Geissler?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.