2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hunsecker
A German toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "high seat" or "high bench".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Hunsecker. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hunsecker 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Hunsecker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hunsecker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hunsecker
The surname Hunsecker originated in Germany, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the German words "hund" meaning "dog" and "ecker" meaning "corner" or "edge," suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived on the edge of a town or village where dogs were kept.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Hunsecker name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the Rhineland region of Germany, dating back to the year 1296. The name appears as "Hundsecker," which is likely an earlier spelling variation.
In the 15th century, the Hunsecker name was documented in the town records of Mühlhausen, located in present-day Thuringia, Germany. These records mention a Peter Hunsecker, who was a prominent merchant and landowner in the area.
During the 16th century, the Hunsecker family spread across various regions of Germany, including Bavaria and Saxony. One notable individual was Johann Hunsecker (1520-1588), a Lutheran theologian and author who played a significant role in the Reformation movement.
As the Hunsecker name spread throughout Europe, it also found its way to other countries. In the late 17th century, a branch of the family emigrated to the American colonies, settling in Pennsylvania. One of the earliest recorded Hunseckers in America was Hans Hunsecker (1655-1723), a farmer and landowner in Berks County.
Another prominent figure bearing the Hunsecker name was Friedrich Hunsecker (1780-1856), a German philosopher and writer who was a proponent of Idealism. His works contributed to the intellectual discourse of his time.
In the 19th century, the Hunsecker name gained recognition in the literary world with the American author, James Hunsecker (1823-1888). He was known for his novels and short stories that explored themes of frontier life and the American West.
The Hunsecker surname has also been associated with various locations throughout Germany and the United States. For example, there is a village called Hunsecker in the state of Hesse, Germany, and several townships and communities named Hunsecker in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hunsecker
Among Census respondents with the surname Hunsecker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Hunsecker 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 Hunsecker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 104
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hunsecker
Hunsecker 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-17 bearers (-14.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 27,453 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+13 bearers (+12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,217 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -17 bearers (-14.4%) | Down 27,453 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.9%) | Up 13,217 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 Hunsecker 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 | #159,712 | #146,495 | 8.3% |
| Count | 101 | 114 | 12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hunsecker bearers went from 101 to 114 (+12.9% change). The surname moved up 13,217 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #146,495.
FAQ
Hunsecker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hunsecker?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Hunsecker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Hunsecker?
Hunsecker ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Hunsecker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Hunsecker.
Has Hunsecker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hunsecker went from 101 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 13 (+12.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Hunsecker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hunsecker, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). 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 Hunsecker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hunsecker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). 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 Hunsecker (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 Hunsecker mean?
A German toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "high seat" or "high bench". 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 Hunsecker (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 Hunsecker?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.