2010
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Girmscheid
A German surname derived from a place name, likely referring to a person from Girmscheid or a similar location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Girmscheid. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Girmscheid 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Girmscheid in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Girmscheid, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Girmscheid
The surname GIRMSCHEID is believed to have originated from the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate in the early 13th century. It is derived from the Old High German words "girm," meaning "greedy" or "voracious," and "scheid," meaning "boundary" or "border." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near a territorial border or who had a reputation for greediness or excessive appetite.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a 1256 document from the town of Boppard, which mentions a "Girmscheidius von Boppard." This individual's name likely evolved from the earlier "Girmsceida," reflecting the local dialect's pronunciation and spelling conventions.
In the 14th century, the GIRMSCHEID name can be found in various records from the Eifel region, particularly in the areas around Prüm, Bitburg, and Trier. This suggests that the name may have been concentrated in this part of western Germany during the Middle Ages.
A notable GIRMSCHEID from history is Johann GIRMSCHEID (1568-1622), a Catholic priest and theologian from Trier who wrote several influential treatises on religious doctrine and philosophy. Another significant figure is Peter GIRMSCHEID (1735-1801), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Prüm who played a role in the region's economic development during the late 18th century.
The spelling of the name has evolved over time, with variants such as "Girmscheidt," "Girmsheit," and "Girmscheyd" appearing in different historical records. Some of these variations may have been influenced by the incorporation of local place names or the interpretation of scribes and record-keepers.
In the 19th century, the GIRMSCHEID name can be found among emigrants from Germany to the United States and other parts of the world, likely as a result of economic factors and political upheavals in Europe at that time. Notable individuals from this period include Heinrich GIRMSCHEID (1812-1889), a German-American farmer and landowner in Pennsylvania, and Katharina GIRMSCHEID (1843-1923), a teacher and community leader in the German immigrant community of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
While the GIRMSCHEID surname is not among the most common in Germany or globally, it has a long and interesting history that reflects the linguistic and cultural influences of the regions where it originated and evolved over several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Girmscheid
Among Census respondents with the surname Girmscheid, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Girmscheid 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 Girmscheid surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 114
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Girmscheid
Girmscheid appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,005 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 3,005 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 Girmscheid 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 | #138,304 | #141,309 | -2.2% |
| Count | 121 | 121 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Girmscheid bearers went from 121 to 121 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 3,005 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #141,309.
FAQ
Girmscheid surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Girmscheid?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Girmscheid. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Girmscheid?
Girmscheid ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Girmscheid. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Girmscheid.
Has Girmscheid become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Girmscheid went from 121 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Girmscheid?
Among Census respondents with the surname Girmscheid, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Black (1.7%) and Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Girmscheid in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Girmscheid appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Black (1.7%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Girmscheid (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 Girmscheid mean?
A German surname derived from a place name, likely referring to a person from Girmscheid or a similar location. 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 Girmscheid (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 are called Girmscheid?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Girmscheid on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.