2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Ransberger
An occupational surname derived from the old German words for "battle" and "shield", likely referring to a warrior or soldier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Ransberger. 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 Ransberger 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 Ransberger 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 Ransberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ransberger
The surname Ransberger originates from the German-speaking regions of Europe, with its roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from a combination of the Germanic words "rans" or "rand," meaning "edge" or "border," and "berg," meaning "mountain" or "hill." This suggests that the name may have initially been associated with individuals who lived near the edges or borders of mountainous regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ransberger can be found in the town records of Freiburg im Breisgau, a city in southwestern Germany, dating back to the 14th century. In these records, a certain Johannes Ransberger is mentioned as a resident of the town in the year 1379. This provides evidence that the name was already in use during that time period.
In the 15th century, the name Ransberger appears in various historical documents from the region of Tyrol, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. These documents include references to individuals with the surname, such as Hans Ransberger, a farmer who lived in the village of Mals in the late 1400s.
During the 16th century, the Ransberger name gained prominence in the town of Traunstein, located in southeastern Bavaria. Several families bearing this surname were recorded as residing in the area, and their descendants can be traced through various local records and church registers.
One notable figure with the surname Ransberger was Johann Ransberger, a German artist and engraver born in Nuremberg in 1554. He was renowned for his intricate copperplate engravings and worked for various noble patrons throughout his career, which spanned several decades until his death in 1626.
Another prominent individual was Maria Ransberger, a Bavarian landowner and philanthropist who lived in the late 18th century. She was known for her charitable contributions to the local community and for establishing an educational fund to support underprivileged students in the region.
In the 19th century, the Ransberger name continued to be prevalent in parts of Germany and Austria. One such example was Karl Ransberger, a German architect born in 1836, who was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Bavaria, including the Regensburg City Hall and the Bamberg Cathedral.
Additionally, records from the early 20th century indicate the presence of Ransbergers in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, with individuals bearing this surname residing in areas such as Bohemia and Moravia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ransberger
Among Census respondents with the surname Ransberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Ransberger 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 Ransberger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ransberger
Ransberger 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
#123,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 7,673 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-25 bearers (-18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,699 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,796 | 139 | 0.05 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 7,673 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-18.0%) | Down 22,699 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 Ransberger 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 | #123,796 | #146,495 | -18.3% |
| Count | 139 | 114 | -18.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ransberger bearers went from 139 to 114 (-18.0% change). The surname moved down 22,699 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,796 to #146,495.
FAQ
Ransberger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ransberger?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Ransberger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Ransberger?
Ransberger 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 Ransberger. 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 Ransberger.
Has Ransberger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ransberger went from 139 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 25 (-18.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,796 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Ransberger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ransberger, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Ransberger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ransberger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Hispanic (7.9%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Ransberger (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 Ransberger mean?
An occupational surname derived from the old German words for "battle" and "shield", likely referring to a warrior or soldier. 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 Ransberger (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 people have the last name Ransberger?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Ransberger on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.