2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Imsland
The locational surname referring to someone from a low-lying coastal region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Imsland. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Imsland 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Imsland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Imsland, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Imsland
The surname Imsland is of German origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the town of Imst, located in the Tyrol region of Austria. The name is derived from the Old German words "im" meaning "in" and "sand" meaning "sandy soil," suggesting that it may have originally referred to someone who lived in or near a sandy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Imsland appears in the Imst town records from the late 1500s, where it was spelled as "Imsländer." This spelling variation indicates that the name was likely associated with a person's place of origin, in this case, the town of Imst.
During the 17th century, the Imsland family was known to have resided in the village of Oberammergau, which is famous for its Passion Play, a traditional play depicting the life and death of Jesus Christ. It is possible that some members of the Imsland family may have been involved in the production of these plays.
In the 18th century, a notable individual with the surname Imsland was Johann Imsland (1705-1782), a German composer and organist. He was born in Augsburg and is known for his works in the Baroque style, including several organ compositions and church cantatas.
Another notable figure was Friedrich Imsland (1825-1891), a German botanist and explorer. He was born in Jena and is renowned for his expeditions to South America, where he discovered and documented numerous plant species, some of which were named after him.
In the 19th century, the surname Imsland also appeared in the United States, particularly in areas with significant German immigration. One example is August Imsland (1840-1914), a German-American businessman and philanthropist who settled in St. Louis, Missouri, and made his fortune in the brewing industry.
Throughout its history, the surname Imsland has maintained its connection to its German roots and the town of Imst, where it likely originated. While its prevalence may have varied over time, it remains a testament to the rich cultural heritage of the German-speaking regions of Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Imsland
Among Census respondents with the surname Imsland, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Imsland 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 Imsland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 7
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Imsland
Imsland 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
-11 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,083 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-8 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,843 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 16,083 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 9,843 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 Imsland 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 | #132,206 | #142,049 | -7.4% |
| Count | 128 | 120 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Imsland bearers went from 128 to 120 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 9,843 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #142,049.
FAQ
Imsland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Imsland?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Imsland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Imsland?
Imsland ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Imsland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Imsland.
Has Imsland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Imsland went from 128 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Imsland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Imsland, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Imsland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Imsland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (5.8%), Black (0.8%). 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 Imsland (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 Imsland mean?
The locational surname referring to someone from a low-lying coastal region. 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 Imsland (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 Americans have the surname Imsland?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.