2000
#139,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lortscher
A locational surname originating from German regions, likely referring to someone from the place Lortsch.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 110 Americans carry the last name Lortscher. That puts it at #156,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,115,949 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lortscher 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
110
1 in 3,115,949
Census rank
#156,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
96
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 96 bearers of the surname Lortscher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lortscher, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lortscher
The surname Lortscher has its origins in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 15th century. It is believed to have derived from the Germanic word "Lortscher," which referred to an occupation or trade related to leather tanning or processing.
In the medieval period, many surnames were derived from occupations, and the Lortscher name likely originated from a family involved in the leather industry. The name may have evolved from various spellings or regional variations, such as Lorcher, Lörtscher, or Lörtsker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lortscher surname can be found in the town records of Bamberg, Germany, from the year 1487, where a Hans Lortscher is mentioned as a resident. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Lortscher name appears in various historical documents and records across German-speaking regions, particularly in Bavaria and parts of modern-day Austria. Notable individuals with this surname from this period include Johann Lortscher (1552-1629), a renowned theologian and scholar from Nuremberg.
In the 18th century, the Lortscher family spread to other parts of Europe, with records showing individuals bearing this name in Switzerland and parts of what is now Poland. One notable figure from this time was Karl Lortscher (1701-1776), a respected merchant and landowner from the city of Bern.
As the 19th century dawned, the Lortscher name continued to be found across Germany and neighboring regions. In 1842, a prominent philosopher and writer named Friedrich Lortscher (1812-1887) was born in the town of Memmingen, Bavaria. His works on ethics and metaphysics gained significant recognition during his lifetime.
Another notable figure was Catharina Lortscher (1783-1856), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's education in the city of Cologne. Her efforts in establishing schools for girls and promoting equal educational opportunities were groundbreaking for the time.
Throughout the centuries, variations of the Lortscher name have existed, such as Lörtscher, Lörtsker, and Lortsker, reflecting regional linguistic variations and spelling changes over time. However, the core surname has maintained its distinct identity and can be traced back to its origins in the leather trade of medieval Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lortscher
Among Census respondents with the surname Lortscher, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lortscher 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 Lortscher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 95
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lortscher
Lortscher 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
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+2 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,496 places
2020
#156,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 96
-16 bearers (-14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,287 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #139,757 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 7,496 places |
| 2020 | #156,540 | 96 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-14.3%) | Down 9,287 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 Lortscher 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 | #147,253 | #156,540 | -6.3% |
| Count | 112 | 96 | -14.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lortscher bearers went from 112 to 96 (-14.3% change). The surname moved down 9,287 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #156,540.
FAQ
Lortscher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lortscher?
Name Census estimates that about 110 living Americans carry the surname Lortscher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,115,949 residents.
How common is Lortscher?
Lortscher ranks #156,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 96 people with the surname Lortscher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (110), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Lortscher.
Has Lortscher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lortscher went from 112 recorded bearers to 96. That is a decrease of 16 (-14.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #156,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Lortscher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lortscher, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Lortscher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lortscher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Lortscher (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 Lortscher mean?
A locational surname originating from German regions, likely referring to someone from the place Lortsch. 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 Lortscher (0.03 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 Lortscher?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.