2000
#13,787
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,014
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.75
Rare Last name
Isler
A Swiss German topographic surname denoting someone living on an island or near water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,261 Americans carry the last name Isler. That puts it at #14,532 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,594 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Isler 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
2.3K
1 in 151,594
Census rank
#14,532
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,972 bearers of the surname Isler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14532nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Isler, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (31.5%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Isler
The surname Isler is of Swiss-German origin, derived from the German word "Eisenlager," which means "iron storage" or "iron merchant." It is believed to have originated in the late 13th or early 14th century in the regions of Switzerland and southern Germany.
In medieval times, surnames often referred to a person's occupation or trade. The surname Isler likely emerged as a designation for those involved in the iron trade, either as merchants, blacksmiths, or ironworkers. It may have been adopted by individuals who worked in the storage or distribution of iron goods.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Isler can be found in the archives of the city of Zurich, Switzerland, dating back to the late 14th century. The name appeared in various spellings, including Isenler, Isennler, and Isenläger, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and orthography.
In the 16th century, the Isler family was well-established in the Swiss cantons of Zurich and Bern. Notable individuals from this period include Hans Isler (1506-1577), a Protestant reformer and theologian from Bern, and Ulrich Isler (1523-1594), a prominent goldsmith and engraver from Zurich.
As the Isler family spread across Europe, they left their mark in various fields. In the 17th century, Johann Isler (1615-1684) was a renowned German composer and organist from Nuremberg. In the 18th century, Johann Rudolf Isler (1714-1786) was a Swiss painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
During the 19th century, the Isler name gained prominence in the literary world. Ernst Isler (1838-1903) was a Swiss poet and novelist, while his compatriot Jakob Isler (1856-1937) was a renowned writer and journalist. Across the Atlantic, Johann Isler (1822-1893) was a Swiss-American farmer and pioneer who settled in Wisconsin.
As the centuries passed, the Isler surname continued to be carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions. Some notable examples include the Swiss chemist and Nobel laureate Paul Isler (1886-1978), the German-American architect and urban planner Walter Isler (1899-1966), and the Swiss cyclist and Olympic medalist Hugo Isler (1921-2011).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Isler
Among Census respondents with the surname Isler, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (31.5%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Isler 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 Isler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.6% · 1,175
- Black or African American31.5% · 621
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 98
- Two or more races3.1% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Isler
Isler 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
#13,368
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,280
+266 bearers (+13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 419 places
2020
#14,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,972
-308 bearers (-13.5%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 1,164 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,787 | 2,014 | 0.75 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,368 | 2,280 | 0.77 | +266 bearers (+13.2%) | Up 419 places |
| 2020 | #14,532 | 1,972 | 0.66 | -308 bearers (-13.5%) | Down 1,164 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 Isler 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 | #13,368 | #14,532 | -8.7% |
| Count | 2,280 | 1,972 | -13.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.66 | -14.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Isler bearers went from 2,280 to 1,972 (-13.5% change). The surname moved down 1,164 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,368 to #14,532.
FAQ
Isler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Isler?
Name Census estimates that about 2,261 living Americans carry the surname Isler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,594 residents.
How common is Isler?
Isler ranks #14,532 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,972 people with the surname Isler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,261), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Isler.
Has Isler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Isler went from 2,280 recorded bearers to 1,972. That is a decrease of 308 (-13.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,368 to #14,532.
What does the Census say about the background of Isler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Isler, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.6%. The next largest groups are Black (31.5%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Isler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.6% (1,175 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Isler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.6%), Black (31.5%), Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Isler (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 Isler mean?
A Swiss German topographic surname denoting someone living on an island or near water. 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 Isler (0.66 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 are called Isler?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Isler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.