2000
#12,387
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,300
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Hosler
An occupational surname for someone who manufactured leg coverings or gaiters, derived from the Middle English "hosier."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,179 Americans carry the last name Hosler. That puts it at #10,968 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,818 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hosler 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Hosler with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 107,818
Census rank
#10,968
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,772 bearers of the surname Hosler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10968th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hosler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hosler
The surname Hosler has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "hos," which means "legging" or "hose," and was likely an occupational name for a maker or seller of hose or leggings.
One of the earliest known records of the name Hosler can be found in the Stadtbücher (city books) of Nuremberg, which date back to the 15th century. The name appeared with various spellings, such as Hoseler, Hossler, and Hosseler, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time.
In the 16th century, the Hosler name spread to other regions of Germany, including the Palatinate and Saxony. During this period, the name also began to appear in church records and other official documents, indicating its growing prevalence among the population.
One notable individual bearing the Hosler surname was Hans Hosler, a German painter who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. His works can be found in several museums and galleries across Europe.
As the centuries passed, the Hosler name continued to spread throughout Germany and eventually made its way to other parts of Europe and beyond. In the 18th century, Johann Michael Hosler (1720-1785) was a prominent German composer and organist who served at the court of the Prince-Bishop of Bamberg.
Another notable figure was Karl Hosler (1811-1888), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Reichstag (the German parliament) in the late 19th century.
In the 20th century, Alfred Hosler (1891-1967) was a Swiss architect and designer who made significant contributions to the Modernist movement in Switzerland.
While the name Hosler originated in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and immigration. Today, individuals bearing this surname can be found in countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, and others.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hosler
Among Census respondents with the surname Hosler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Hosler 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 Hosler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 2,529
- Two or more races3.5% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 16
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hosler
Hosler 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
#13,578
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,233
-67 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 1,191 places
2020
#10,968
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,772
+539 bearers (+24.1%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Up 2,610 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,387 | 2,300 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,578 | 2,233 | 0.76 | -67 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 1,191 places |
| 2020 | #10,968 | 2,772 | 0.93 | +539 bearers (+24.1%) | Up 2,610 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 Hosler 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 | #13,578 | #10,968 | 19.2% |
| Count | 2,233 | 2,772 | 24.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.76 | 0.93 | 22.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hosler bearers went from 2,233 to 2,772 (+24.1% change). The surname moved up 2,610 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,578 to #10,968.
FAQ
Hosler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hosler?
Name Census estimates that about 3,179 living Americans carry the surname Hosler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,818 residents.
How common is Hosler?
Hosler ranks #10,968 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,772 people with the surname Hosler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,179), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Hosler.
Has Hosler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hosler went from 2,233 recorded bearers to 2,772. That is an increase of 539 (+24.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,578 to #10,968.
What does the Census say about the background of Hosler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hosler, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Hosler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (2,529 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hosler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Hosler (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 Hosler mean?
An occupational surname for someone who manufactured leg coverings or gaiters, derived from the Middle English "hosier." 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 Hosler (0.93 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 Hosler?
Find out how many people have the last name Hosler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.