2000
#60,230
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 313
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Passer
From the Latin word meaning "sparrow" or "small bird".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 337 Americans carry the last name Passer. That puts it at #71,480 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,017,075 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Passer 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
337
1 in 1,017,075
Census rank
#71,480
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
294
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 294 bearers of the surname Passer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 71480th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Passer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Passer
The surname Passer is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "passeur," which means "ferryman" or "one who crosses a river or stream." The name likely originated in areas of England near major rivers or waterways, where ferrymen were an important part of the local economy and transportation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Passer can be found in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1196, which mention a Richard le Passer. This suggests that the name had already become an established surname by the late 12th century. Other early records include the Pipe Rolls of Nottinghamshire from 1207, which list a Robert le Passer.
The surname Passer is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In the Domesday Book, the name is spelled as "Passur," indicating that the spelling of the surname has evolved over time.
During the Middle Ages, the surname Passer was most prevalent in counties like Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire, which had numerous rivers and streams. Some notable individuals with the surname Passer from this period include John Passer (c. 1400-1460), a merchant and alderman in the city of Lincoln, and Thomas Passer (c. 1450-1520), a landowner in Nottinghamshire.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Passer continued to be found throughout England, particularly in areas with significant waterways. One notable individual from this period was Sir Richard Passer (1567-1638), a prominent lawyer and Member of Parliament who served as the Recorder of London.
Other historical figures with the surname Passer include Robert Passer (1720-1790), a farmer and landowner in Yorkshire; Elizabeth Passer (1780-1855), a philanthropist and advocate for women's education in Lincolnshire; and William Passer (1825-1895), a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in London.
The surname Passer has also been found in other parts of the world, likely carried by English emigrants and settlers. For example, there are records of individuals with the surname Passer in colonial America as early as the 17th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Passer
Among Census respondents with the surname Passer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Passer 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 Passer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 273
- Two or more races3.7% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 3
- Black or African American0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Passer
Passer 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
#68,345
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 288
-25 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 8,115 places
2020
#71,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 294
+6 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 3,135 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #60,230 | 313 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #68,345 | 288 | 0.10 | -25 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 8,115 places |
| 2020 | #71,480 | 294 | 0.10 | +6 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 3,135 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 Passer 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 | #68,345 | #71,480 | -4.6% |
| Count | 288 | 294 | 2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.10 | -1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Passer bearers went from 288 to 294 (+2.1% change). The surname moved down 3,135 positions in the national ranking, going from #68,345 to #71,480.
FAQ
Passer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Passer?
Name Census estimates that about 337 living Americans carry the surname Passer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,017,075 residents.
How common is Passer?
Passer ranks #71,480 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 294 people with the surname Passer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (337), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Passer.
Has Passer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Passer went from 288 recorded bearers to 294. That is an increase of 6 (+2.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #68,345 to #71,480.
What does the Census say about the background of Passer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Passer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Passer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (273 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Passer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Passer (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 Passer mean?
From the Latin word meaning "sparrow" or "small bird". 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 Passer (0.10 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 Passer?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.