2000
#61,855
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 303
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Inzer
Possibly of German origin meaning "person from the inner valley or region".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 316 Americans carry the last name Inzer. That puts it at #75,363 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,084,666 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Inzer 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
316
1 in 1,084,666
Census rank
#75,363
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
276
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 276 bearers of the surname Inzer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 75363rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Inzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Inzer
The surname Inzer has its origins in Germany, dating back to the early 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the German word "Inzen," which referred to a specific type of farmland or agricultural area. The name likely designated someone who lived in or near such a region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Inzer surname can be found in historical documents from the town of Münster, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In a church registry from 1523, a man named Johann Inzer is mentioned as a landowner and farmer.
As the Inzer family grew and spread across other parts of Germany, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as Inzer, Intzer, and Intser. These variations were likely due to differences in local dialects and the interpretations of scribes when recording the name.
During the 17th century, the Inzer name appeared in several official records and manuscripts in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. Notably, a merchant named Hans Inzer is listed as a prominent trader in the city of Leipzig in 1642.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the Inzer surname was Matthias Inzer, a Lutheran theologian and scholar who lived from 1582 to 1649. He served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg and was known for his contributions to the study of Hebrew and biblical exegesis.
Another notable figure was Johann Georg Inzer, a German composer and organist who lived from 1675 to 1738. He was renowned for his work in the Baroque style and served as the court organist for the Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels.
In the 19th century, the Inzer name gained prominence in the field of medicine with the physician and anatomist Franz Inzer (1809-1888). He made significant contributions to the study of human anatomy and was a respected professor at the University of Bonn.
Towards the end of the 19th century, the Inzer surname also appeared in the United States, likely due to German immigration. One of the earliest recorded individuals was Wilhelm Inzer, a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania in the 1870s and worked as a farmer.
Throughout history, the Inzer surname has been associated with various professions, including agriculture, trade, academia, and medicine, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who have carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Inzer
Among Census respondents with the surname Inzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Inzer 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 Inzer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 258
- Two or more races3.3% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 7
- Black or African American0.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Inzer
Inzer 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
#66,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 299
-4 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 4,309 places
2020
#75,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 276
-23 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 9,199 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #61,855 | 303 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #66,164 | 299 | 0.10 | -4 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 4,309 places |
| 2020 | #75,363 | 276 | 0.09 | -23 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 9,199 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 Inzer 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 | #66,164 | #75,363 | -13.9% |
| Count | 299 | 276 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.09 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Inzer bearers went from 299 to 276 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 9,199 positions in the national ranking, going from #66,164 to #75,363.
FAQ
Inzer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Inzer?
Name Census estimates that about 316 living Americans carry the surname Inzer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,084,666 residents.
How common is Inzer?
Inzer ranks #75,363 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 276 people with the surname Inzer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (316), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Inzer.
Has Inzer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Inzer went from 299 recorded bearers to 276. That is a decrease of 23 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #66,164 to #75,363.
What does the Census say about the background of Inzer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Inzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Inzer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (258 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Inzer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Inzer (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 Inzer mean?
Possibly of German origin meaning "person from the inner valley or 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 Inzer (0.09 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 Inzer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.