2000
#12,127
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,359
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Germann
A German toponymic surname indicating someone from Germany or an ethnonymic surname denoting an individual of German heritage.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,800 Americans carry the last name Germann. That puts it at #12,175 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,412 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Germann 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
2.8K
1 in 122,412
Census rank
#12,175
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,442 bearers of the surname Germann in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12175th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Germann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Germann
The surname GERMANN is of German origin, derived from the German word "Germanus" meaning "a German man." It emerged during the Middle Ages when surnames were becoming more common in Germany.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname GERMANN can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. The name was often associated with individuals who had migrated from one region to another within Germany or neighboring countries.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes GERMANN, a merchant from the city of Nuremberg, who was mentioned in a trade guild record in 1328. Another notable figure was Heinrich GERMANN, a scholar and theologian from Leipzig, who lived from 1460 to 1522 and wrote several treatises on religious philosophy.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the GERMANN surname appeared in various historical records, such as church registers and tax rolls, across different parts of Germany. It was also found in some areas of present-day Austria and Switzerland, reflecting the mobility of people during that period.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure bearing the name GERMANN was Johann Christian GERMANN, a German composer and organist born in 1737 in Saxony. His compositions included sacred choral works and instrumental pieces that were performed in churches and courts throughout Germany.
Another notable GERMANN was Friedrich Wilhelm GERMANN, a German painter and engraver who lived from 1780 to 1854. He was known for his landscapes and cityscapes, capturing the beauty of various regions in Germany and neighboring countries.
The GERMANN surname has also been associated with several place names in Germany, such as Germansweiler, a town in Baden-Württemberg, and Germansweiler, a village in Bavaria. These place names likely originated from the presence of individuals with the surname GERMANN in those areas during earlier times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Germann
Among Census respondents with the surname Germann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Germann 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 Germann surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 2,240
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 107
- Two or more races2.5% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 21
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Germann
Germann 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
#11,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,612
+253 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Up 162 places
2020
#12,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,442
-170 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 210 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,127 | 2,359 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,965 | 2,612 | 0.89 | +253 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 162 places |
| 2020 | #12,175 | 2,442 | 0.82 | -170 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 210 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 Germann 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 | #11,965 | #12,175 | -1.8% |
| Count | 2,612 | 2,442 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.82 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Germann bearers went from 2,612 to 2,442 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 210 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,965 to #12,175.
FAQ
Germann surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Germann?
Name Census estimates that about 2,800 living Americans carry the surname Germann. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,412 residents.
How common is Germann?
Germann ranks #12,175 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,442 people with the surname Germann. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,800), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Germann.
Has Germann become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Germann went from 2,612 recorded bearers to 2,442. That is a decrease of 170 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,965 to #12,175.
What does the Census say about the background of Germann?
Among Census respondents with the surname Germann, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Germann in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (2,240 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Germann appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Germann (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 Germann mean?
A German toponymic surname indicating someone from Germany or an ethnonymic surname denoting an individual of German heritage. 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 Germann (0.82 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 Germann?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.