2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gneiser
A surname of German origin, possibly derived from the word "Gneisser" meaning someone from a rocky or gneiss region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Gneiser. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gneiser 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Gneiser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gneiser, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gneiser
The surname GNEISER has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the late medieval period in Central Europe, specifically in the regions of modern-day Germany and Austria. It is believed to have derived from an occupational name, referring to individuals who were involved in the mining or smelting of ores, particularly those containing gneiss, a type of metamorphic rock.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GNEISER can be found in the archives of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Gneiser was listed as a resident in the year 1483. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 15th century.
The name GNEISER has also been associated with various place names in German-speaking regions, such as Gneisendorf, a small village in Upper Austria. It is possible that the surname may have originated from individuals who hailed from or had some connection to these locations.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname GNEISER. One such figure was Johann Gneiser (1548-1612), a German theologian and educator who served as the rector of the prestigious Thomasschule in Leipzig. Another prominent bearer of the name was Friedrich Gneiser (1801-1862), a Prussian jurist and legal scholar who made significant contributions to the field of civil law.
In the realm of the arts, the name GNEISER is associated with the German painter and printmaker, Max Gneiser (1879-1965), who was known for his landscape and genre scenes depicting rural life in Bavaria. Additionally, the German-American composer and pianist, Rudolf Gneiser (1880-1958), left a lasting mark on the development of contemporary classical music in the United States.
The name GNEISER has also been documented in various historical records and manuscripts, such as the parish registers of several German towns and villages, further solidifying its longstanding presence in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gneiser
Among Census respondents with the surname Gneiser, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gneiser 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 Gneiser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 100
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gneiser
Gneiser 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
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 51 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 Gneiser 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 | #149,395 | #149,446 | -0.0% |
| Count | 110 | 110 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gneiser bearers went from 110 to 110 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #149,446.
FAQ
Gneiser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gneiser?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Gneiser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Gneiser?
Gneiser ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Gneiser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Gneiser.
Has Gneiser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gneiser went from 110 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Gneiser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gneiser, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Black (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Gneiser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gneiser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Black (2.7%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Gneiser (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 Gneiser mean?
A surname of German origin, possibly derived from the word "Gneisser" meaning someone from a rocky or gneiss region. 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 Gneiser (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 have the last name Gneiser?
Want to know how many people have the surname Gneiser? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.