2000
#83,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 208
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Imbach
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a small stream or brook.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 240 Americans carry the last name Imbach. That puts it at #93,963 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,428,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Imbach 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
240
1 in 1,428,143
Census rank
#93,963
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
209
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 209 bearers of the surname Imbach in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 93963rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Imbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Imbach
The surname Imbach has its origins in the German language and can be traced back to the medieval period in Europe. It is believed to have derived from the Old German words "in" and "bach," which collectively translate to "by the brook" or "near the stream." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname likely lived in close proximity to a small water body or a brook.
The name Imbach was particularly prevalent in the regions of Switzerland and southern Germany, where many historical records and documents mention individuals bearing this surname. One notable early reference is found in the Ratisbon Codex, a 14th-century manuscript from the city of Regensburg, which contains entries related to individuals named Imbach.
In the 15th century, the name Imbach appears in various records from the Swiss cantons of Bern and Lucerne. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Hans Imbach, a farmer and landowner from the town of Brienz, who lived around 1460. Another notable figure was Konrad Imbach, a scholar and theologian from Bern, born in 1472, who wrote extensively on religious topics.
The Imbach surname also has connections to certain place names, such as Imbach, a small village in the canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden, Switzerland. It is likely that some of the earliest bearers of this surname hailed from or were associated with this location.
Throughout history, several individuals with the surname Imbach have gained recognition in various fields. These include:
1. Johann Imbach (1540-1617), a Swiss Protestant theologian and reformer from Bern.
2. Jakob Imbach (1675-1741), a Swiss architect and builder known for his work on churches and monasteries in the canton of Lucerne.
3. Johann Georg Imbach (1720-1784), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg, renowned for his religious artwork.
4. Nikolaus Imbach (1818-1885), a Swiss politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Swiss Federal Council.
5. Ernst Imbach (1900-1972), a Swiss writer and journalist known for his novels and essays on rural life in Switzerland.
While the surname Imbach may have evolved in its spelling and usage over the centuries, its origins and historical significance remain firmly rooted in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly Switzerland and southern Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Imbach
Among Census respondents with the surname Imbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Imbach 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 Imbach surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 185
- Two or more races4.3% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 8
- Black or African American1.4% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Imbach
Imbach 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
#87,335
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 213
+5 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 3,370 places
2020
#93,963
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 209
-4 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 6,628 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #83,965 | 208 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #87,335 | 213 | 0.07 | +5 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 3,370 places |
| 2020 | #93,963 | 209 | 0.07 | -4 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 6,628 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 Imbach 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 | #87,335 | #93,963 | -7.6% |
| Count | 213 | 209 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Imbach bearers went from 213 to 209 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 6,628 positions in the national ranking, going from #87,335 to #93,963.
FAQ
Imbach surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Imbach?
Name Census estimates that about 240 living Americans carry the surname Imbach. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,428,143 residents.
How common is Imbach?
Imbach ranks #93,963 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 209 people with the surname Imbach. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (240), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Imbach.
Has Imbach become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Imbach went from 213 recorded bearers to 209. That is a decrease of 4 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #87,335 to #93,963.
What does the Census say about the background of Imbach?
Among Census respondents with the surname Imbach, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Imbach in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (185 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Imbach appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Imbach (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 Imbach mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a small stream or brook. 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 Imbach (0.07 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 Imbach?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.