2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Handloser
A German surname potentially meaning "one who loses his hands" or "unlucky person".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Handloser. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Handloser 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Handloser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Handloser, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Handloser
The surname "HANDLOSER" has its origins in the German language, dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
The name "HANDLOSER" is derived from the German words "Hand" meaning "hand" and "loser" meaning "one who lets go" or "one who releases." This suggests that the name may have been given to an individual whose occupation involved handling or releasing something, perhaps a craftsman or a person working in a trade involving their hands.
While there are no definitive historical references to the name "HANDLOSER" appearing in prominent records or manuscripts, such as the Domesday Book, some of the earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in German church records from the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
One notable individual with the surname "HANDLOSER" was Johann Handloser (1590-1667), a German Protestant theologian and author who lived in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. His works include several theological treatises and sermons.
Another person of note was Maria Handloser (1682-1754), a German painter known for her religious artworks and portraits. She was born in Nuremberg and spent most of her career in southern Germany.
In the 19th century, Karl Handloser (1823-1898) was a prominent German architect who designed several notable buildings in Munich, including the Benedictine Abbey of St. Boniface.
Moving into the 20th century, Otto Handloser (1901-1982) was a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Bundestag, the German federal parliament, from 1949 to 1965.
Another individual worth mentioning is Hilde Handloser (1915-2002), a German writer and journalist who published several novels and works of non-fiction during her career.
It is important to note that while these are examples of individuals with the surname "HANDLOSER," the name's origins and historical significance may vary depending on the specific family lineage and regional context.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Handloser
Among Census respondents with the surname Handloser, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Handloser 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 Handloser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.1% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Handloser
Handloser 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+7 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,399 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-15 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,042 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 2,399 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -15 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 13,042 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 Handloser 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 | #141,140 | #154,182 | -9.2% |
| Count | 118 | 103 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Handloser bearers went from 118 to 103 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 13,042 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #154,182.
FAQ
Handloser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Handloser?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Handloser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Handloser?
Handloser ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Handloser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Handloser.
Has Handloser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Handloser went from 118 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Handloser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Handloser, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Handloser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.1% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Handloser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.1%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Handloser (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 Handloser mean?
A German surname potentially meaning "one who loses his hands" or "unlucky person". 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 Handloser (0.03 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 Handloser?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.