2000
#114,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Giesting
A habitational name for someone from a place called Giestingen in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 202 Americans carry the last name Giesting. That puts it at #107,521 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,696,804 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Giesting 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
202
1 in 1,696,804
Census rank
#107,521
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
176
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 176 bearers of the surname Giesting in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 107521st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Giesting, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Giesting
The surname GIESTING is of German origin, with roots dating back to the 14th century in the region of Bavaria. It is believed to be derived from the German word "giessen," which means "to pour" or "to cast," suggesting a possible connection to metalworking or foundry trades.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GIESTING can be found in the town records of Nuremberg, dated around 1380, where a certain Hans Giesting is mentioned as a metalsmith. This lends credence to the theory of the name's association with the metal casting profession.
In the 16th century, the GIESTING name appeared in various documents and records across southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Notable examples include Johann Giesting (1510-1572), a scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Tübingen, and Christoph Giesting (1565-1629), a renowned painter and engraver from Nuremberg.
The GIESTING name also has ties to place names, with variants such as Giesstingen appearing in historical records. This could indicate a connection to a specific location or settlement, although the exact origins of these place names remain uncertain.
In the 18th century, a notable figure bearing the GIESTING surname was Friedrich Giesting (1723-1798), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Göttingen. His works on ethics and moral philosophy were widely influential during the Enlightenment era.
Moving into the 19th century, the GIESTING name gained prominence in the field of education. Johann Jakob Giesting (1817-1892) was a German educator and author who published several textbooks on subjects like geography and history, which were widely used in schools across Germany.
Another noteworthy individual was Karl Giesting (1865-1932), a German architect and urban planner who played a significant role in the development of modern city planning principles. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings and urban landscapes in Berlin and other German cities.
Throughout its history, the surname GIESTING has maintained its roots in German-speaking regions, with various branches and offshoots emerging across different parts of Europe and beyond. While the name's precise origins remain shrouded in mystery, its enduring presence across centuries serves as a testament to its rich cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Giesting
Among Census respondents with the surname Giesting, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Giesting 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 Giesting surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 176
Timeline
Historical Census data for Giesting
Giesting 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
#120,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
+3 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 5,335 places
2020
#107,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 176
+32 bearers (+22.2%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 12,666 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,852 | 141 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #120,187 | 144 | 0.05 | +3 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 5,335 places |
| 2020 | #107,521 | 176 | 0.06 | +32 bearers (+22.2%) | Up 12,666 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 Giesting 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 | #120,187 | #107,521 | 10.5% |
| Count | 144 | 176 | 22.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 17.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Giesting bearers went from 144 to 176 (+22.2% change). The surname moved up 12,666 positions in the national ranking, going from #120,187 to #107,521.
FAQ
Giesting surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Giesting?
Name Census estimates that about 202 living Americans carry the surname Giesting. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,696,804 residents.
How common is Giesting?
Giesting ranks #107,521 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 176 people with the surname Giesting. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (202), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Giesting.
Has Giesting become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Giesting went from 144 recorded bearers to 176. That is an increase of 32 (+22.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #120,187 to #107,521.
What does the Census say about the background of Giesting?
Among Census respondents with the surname Giesting, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Giesting in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (176 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Giesting appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Giesting (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 Giesting mean?
A habitational name for someone from a place called Giestingen in 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 Giesting (0.06 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 Giesting?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.