2010
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Horrisberger
A locational surname originating from a place called Horrisberger in Switzerland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Horrisberger. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Horrisberger 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Horrisberger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Horrisberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Horrisberger
The surname Horrisberger originates from the German-speaking regions of Switzerland, specifically the canton of Bern, during the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old High German words "horri" meaning "coarse" or "rough" and "berg" meaning "hill" or "mountain." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone who lived in a rugged or mountainous area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Horrisberger can be found in the village records of Grindelwald, a municipality in the Bernese Oberland region, dating back to the late 16th century. The name appears to have been well-established in this area, likely due to its geographic significance.
In the 17th century, a notable figure bearing the Horrisberger surname was Hans Horrisberger (1625-1689), a respected farmer and landowner in the village of Meiringen, also located in the Bernese Oberland. His descendants continued to play a prominent role in the local community for several generations.
During the 18th century, the name Horrisberger began to spread beyond the Bernese Oberland region as people migrated to other parts of Switzerland and neighboring countries. One such individual was Jakob Horrisberger (1738-1812), a merchant who settled in the city of Zurich and established a successful trading business.
As the 19th century dawned, the Horrisberger name gained recognition in the field of education with the work of Johann Horrisberger (1792-1867), a renowned teacher and author of several textbooks on mathematics and physics. He spent most of his career teaching at prestigious schools in the Swiss cantons of Lucerne and Zug.
Another noteworthy figure was Anna Horrisberger (1855-1932), a pioneering woman in the field of nursing. She was one of the first trained nurses in Switzerland and played a crucial role in establishing professional nursing standards and education in the country.
While the Horrisberger surname is not among the most common in Switzerland, it has a rich history deeply rooted in the country's German-speaking regions, particularly the Bernese Oberland. Over the centuries, individuals bearing this name have made significant contributions across various fields, from agriculture and commerce to education and healthcare.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Horrisberger
Among Census respondents with the surname Horrisberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Horrisberger 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 Horrisberger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino9.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Horrisberger
Horrisberger 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
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-15 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,312 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 14,312 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 Horrisberger 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 | #137,327 | #151,639 | -10.4% |
| Count | 122 | 107 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Horrisberger bearers went from 122 to 107 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 14,312 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #151,639.
FAQ
Horrisberger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Horrisberger?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Horrisberger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Horrisberger?
Horrisberger ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Horrisberger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Horrisberger.
Has Horrisberger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Horrisberger went from 122 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 15 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Horrisberger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Horrisberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%). 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 Horrisberger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Horrisberger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (9.3%). 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 Horrisberger (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 Horrisberger mean?
A locational surname originating from a place called Horrisberger in Switzerland. 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 Horrisberger (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 share the surname Horrisberger?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.