2000
#2,260
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,769
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.47
Uncommon Last name
German
Denoting an individual of Germanic origin or a person who came from Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,023 Americans carry the last name German. That puts it at #2,250 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,018 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the German 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 German with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
18K
1 in 19,018
Census rank
#2,250
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,717 bearers of the surname German in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2250th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname German, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.5%) and Black (13.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of German
The surname GERMAN is of German and English origin, derived from the medieval personal name Gereman or Germen. This name is thought to have originated from the Old German word "gari" meaning "spear" combined with the root "man" meaning "man." It was originally an occupational name for a man who carried a spear or javelin.
In England, the surname GERMAN is believed to have originated from the Middle English word "germain" meaning "a cousin or kinsman." It was used to refer to someone who was a close relative but not a direct descendant. The earliest recorded instance of this surname in England dates back to the 13th century.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname GERMAN was Johannes Germen, who was mentioned in the records of the city of Cologne, Germany, in 1292. Another early reference is found in the Subsidy Rolls of Warwickshire, England, from 1332, which lists a person named John le Germeyn.
In the 14th century, the GERMAN surname appeared in various historical records, including the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, which recorded a Walter German. The Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273 also mentioned a Robert Germain.
Notable individuals with the surname GERMAN throughout history include:
1. Frederic German (1775-1847), a British playwright and author known for his works such as "The Rovers" and "The Rent Day."
2. Edward German (1862-1936), an English composer and violinist best known for his light operas and incidental music for plays.
3. Aleksey German (1938-2013), a renowned Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter, known for his films "My Friend Ivan Lapshin" and "Khrustalyov, My Car!"
4. Yuri German (1910-1967), a Soviet military commander who played a significant role during World War II, particularly in the Battle of Kursk.
5. Theodor German (1872-1943), a German architect and urban planner who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other German cities.
The GERMAN surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Germanton in North Carolina, USA, and the town of Germain in Normandy, France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for German
Among Census respondents with the surname German, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.5%) and Black (13.4%).
The bar chart below shows how German 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 German surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.3% · 8,691
- Hispanic or Latino26.5% · 4,167
- Black or African American13.4% · 2,103
- Two or more races2.9% · 454
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 184
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 118
Timeline
Historical Census data for German
German 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
#2,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,661
+1,892 bearers (+12.8%)
Per 100,000 5.65
Rank movement Up 78 places
2020
#2,250
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,717
-944 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 5.26
Rank movement Down 68 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,260 | 14,769 | 5.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,182 | 16,661 | 5.65 | +1,892 bearers (+12.8%) | Up 78 places |
| 2020 | #2,250 | 15,717 | 5.26 | -944 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 68 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 German 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 | #2,182 | #2,250 | -3.1% |
| Count | 16,661 | 15,717 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 5.65 | 5.26 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of German bearers went from 16,661 to 15,717 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 68 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,182 to #2,250.
FAQ
German surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname German?
Name Census estimates that about 18,023 living Americans carry the surname German. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,018 residents.
How common is German?
German ranks #2,250 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,717 people with the surname German. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,023), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname German.
Has German become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname German went from 16,661 recorded bearers to 15,717. That is a decrease of 944 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,182 to #2,250.
What does the Census say about the background of German?
Among Census respondents with the surname German, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.5%) and Black (13.4%). 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 German in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.3% (8,691 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
German appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.3%), Hispanic (26.5%), Black (13.4%). 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 German (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 German mean?
Denoting an individual of Germanic origin or a person who came from 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 German (5.26 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 German?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.