2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ischy
A surname derived from a place name, possibly referring to someone from the town of Ischy in Normandy, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Ischy. 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 Ischy 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 Ischy 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 Ischy, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ischy
The surname Ischy originated in the Rhine region of Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "isch," which means ice or frost. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a particularly cold or icy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ischy can be found in a 14th-century manuscript from the town of Mainz, where a certain "Johannes Ischius" is mentioned. This indicates that the name had already become established in the region by that time.
In the 15th century, the Ischy name appears in various records from the nearby town of Worms. For example, a "Hans Ischy" is listed as a resident of the town in 1483. This suggests that the name had spread to other parts of the Rhine region by that point.
During the 16th century, the Ischy family name gained some prominence in the region. One notable figure was Johann Ischy (1502-1572), a scholar and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg. He was known for his writings on religious philosophy and his debates with Protestant reformers of the time.
Another prominent individual with the Ischy surname was Katharina Ischy (1587-1647), a Benedictine nun who founded a convent in the town of Andernach. She is revered as a religious figure in the area and is said to have performed various miracles during her lifetime.
In the 17th century, the Ischy name continued to be found in various records from the Rhine region. One example is a certain "Peter Ischy" who is mentioned in a land deed from the town of Koblenz, dated 1632. This suggests that members of the family had become landowners and prominent citizens in the area.
Over the centuries, the Ischy name also spread to other parts of Germany and beyond, as individuals with the surname migrated to different regions. However, its origins can be traced back to the Rhine region, where it first emerged as a distinct family name during the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ischy
Among Census respondents with the surname Ischy, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.0%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Ischy 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 Ischy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.6% · 93
- Hispanic or Latino14.0% · 16
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ischy
Ischy 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-9 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,261 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+10 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,549 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 19,261 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 9,549 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 Ischy 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 | #156,044 | #146,495 | 6.1% |
| Count | 104 | 114 | 9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ischy bearers went from 104 to 114 (+9.6% change). The surname moved up 9,549 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #146,495.
FAQ
Ischy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ischy?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Ischy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Ischy?
Ischy 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 Ischy. 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 Ischy.
Has Ischy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ischy went from 104 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 10 (+9.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Ischy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ischy, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (14.0%) and Two or More Races (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 Ischy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ischy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.6%), Hispanic (14.0%), Two or More Races (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 Ischy (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 Ischy mean?
A surname derived from a place name, possibly referring to someone from the town of Ischy in Normandy, France. 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 Ischy (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 Ischy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.