Find out how popular the last name Gessner is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gessner.

Gessner, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gessner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gessner in America

Gessner is the 11374th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gessner surname appeared 2,773 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gessner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gessner to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gessner

The surname Gessner originated in Germany and Switzerland, deriving from the Middle High German word "gersener" or "gerser," meaning a grower of vegetables or a gardener. This name was originally an occupational surname given to those who cultivated gardens or grew produce.

The earliest recorded instances of the Gessner surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany and Switzerland. One of the earliest mentions was in a document from the city of Zurich, Switzerland, dated 1275, which referred to a "Cunradus Gersener."

In Germany, the name was sometimes spelled as "Gärtner" or "Gertner," which also means gardener. Some variations of the spelling included "Gessener," "Gesner," and "Gessner." These different spellings were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions in earlier centuries.

One notable historical figure bearing the Gessner surname was Conrad Gessner (1516-1565), a Swiss naturalist, bibliographer, and philologist. He is considered a pioneer in the field of modern zoology and is known for his extensive works on animal taxonomy and classification.

Another prominent individual was Johann Gessner (1709-1790), a Swiss painter and engraver from Zurich. His etchings and engravings depicted landscapes and scenes from rural life, and he is regarded as one of the most important artists of the 18th century in Switzerland.

In England, the Gessner surname can be traced back to the 16th century, likely introduced by German or Swiss immigrants. One early recorded instance was a William Gessner, who was mentioned in parish records from Oxfordshire in 1589.

The Domesday Book, a historical record compiled in 1086 for William the Conqueror, does not contain any direct references to the Gessner surname. However, it does mention individuals with the occupation of "gardener" or "hortulanus," which could have been precursors to the surname in later centuries.

Other notable individuals with the Gessner surname include Johann Jakob Gessner (1707-1787), a Swiss painter and poet; Salomon Gessner (1730-1788), a Swiss idyllic poet and painter; and Johann Gessner (1826-1899), a German-American landscape painter and lithographer active in the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gessner

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gessner.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gessner was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gessner has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gessner was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gessner, please contact us.

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