2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gensamer
A surname derived from the German word "genseimer" meaning a goose herder.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Gensamer. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gensamer 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Gensamer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gensamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gensamer
The surname GENSAMER is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely in the late medieval or early modern period. It may have derived from a combination of the German words "Gans," meaning "goose," and "Samer," which could refer to a gatherer or collector. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who gathered or collected geese, perhaps as an occupation or trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in a baptismal record from the town of Nürnberg, Germany, dated 1587, where a child named Hans Gensamer was christened. This indicates that the name was already in use in that region by the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, a historical figure named Johann Gensamer (1614-1677) was a prominent Lutheran theologian and scholar in the city of Altdorf, Bavaria. His writings and teachings contributed significantly to the development of Lutheran theology during that era.
Another notable individual bearing the GENSAMER name was Karl Gensamer (1768-1842), a German painter and engraver from the city of Augsburg. His works, which included portraits and religious scenes, were highly regarded during his lifetime and can be found in various art collections across Europe.
Moving into the 19th century, a man named Wilhelm Gensamer (1825-1892) made his mark as a successful businessman and entrepreneur in the textile industry in the city of Leipzig, Germany. He established a thriving textile manufacturing company that employed hundreds of workers and contributed to the economic growth of the region.
In the early 20th century, a German-American named Otto Gensamer (1901-1987) achieved recognition as a pioneering engineer and inventor. He held numerous patents for his innovations in the field of chemical engineering and played a crucial role in the development of various industrial processes.
While the GENSAMER surname may have originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and immigration patterns. However, the earliest recorded instances and historical figures bearing this name can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of Europe, where it likely emerged as a descriptive surname related to the gathering or collecting of geese.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gensamer
Among Census respondents with the surname Gensamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gensamer 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 Gensamer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.7% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gensamer
Gensamer 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+19 bearers (+18.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,315 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-9 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,164 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+18.1%) | Up 9,315 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 10,164 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 Gensamer 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 | #135,593 | #145,757 | -7.5% |
| Count | 124 | 115 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gensamer bearers went from 124 to 115 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 10,164 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #145,757.
FAQ
Gensamer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gensamer?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Gensamer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Gensamer?
Gensamer ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Gensamer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Gensamer.
Has Gensamer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gensamer went from 124 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Gensamer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gensamer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Gensamer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gensamer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.7%), Hispanic (4.3%). 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 Gensamer (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 Gensamer mean?
A surname derived from the German word "genseimer" meaning a goose herder. 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 Gensamer (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 surname Gensamer?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.