2000
#7,875
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,899
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.45
Rare Last name
Ressler
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German "ræzzeler," meaning a cloth dresser or cloth maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,390 Americans carry the last name Ressler. That puts it at #8,284 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,076 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ressler 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
4.4K
1 in 78,076
Census rank
#8,284
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,828 bearers of the surname Ressler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8284th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ressler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ressler
The surname Ressler is believed to have originated in Germany, likely in the southern regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It is derived from the Middle High German word "risle," which means "brook" or "small stream." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a small stream or brook.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ressler can be found in the Stadtbuch von Freiburg, a register of citizens in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, dating back to the 14th century. The name appears as "Risler" and "Rissler," which were likely earlier spelling variations.
During the Middle Ages, the name Ressler was also associated with various place names that incorporated the word "risle." For example, there are records of villages called "Risslingen" and "Risselberg" in the region of Baden-Württemberg.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Ressler was Hans Ressler, a German artist and woodcarver who lived from around 1500 to 1572. His intricate woodcarvings can still be found in various churches and museums across southern Germany.
Another notable individual with this surname was Johann Ressler, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1625 to 1692. He was a professor at the University of Tübingen and wrote several influential works on theology and metaphysics.
In the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Ressler was Friedrich Ressler, a German philanthropist and industrialist who lived from 1818 to 1897. He established several charitable foundations and was instrumental in the development of the textile industry in the region of Baden-Württemberg.
Another noteworthy figure from this period was Luise Ressler, a German educator and women's rights activist who lived from 1843 to 1921. She founded several schools for girls and worked tirelessly to promote education and equal rights for women.
Finally, in the 20th century, a prominent individual with the surname Ressler was Robert Ressler, an American criminologist and former FBI agent who lived from 1937 to 2013. He was a pioneer in the study of criminal psychology and played a crucial role in developing the techniques used to profile serial killers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ressler
Among Census respondents with the surname Ressler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ressler 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 Ressler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 3,574
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 128
- Two or more races2.3% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 21
- Black or African American0.4% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ressler
Ressler 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
#7,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,442
+543 bearers (+13.9%)
Per 100,000 1.51
Rank movement Up 378 places
2020
#8,284
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,828
-614 bearers (-13.8%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Down 787 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,875 | 3,899 | 1.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,497 | 4,442 | 1.51 | +543 bearers (+13.9%) | Up 378 places |
| 2020 | #8,284 | 3,828 | 1.28 | -614 bearers (-13.8%) | Down 787 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 Ressler 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 | #7,497 | #8,284 | -10.5% |
| Count | 4,442 | 3,828 | -13.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.51 | 1.28 | -15.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ressler bearers went from 4,442 to 3,828 (-13.8% change). The surname moved down 787 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,497 to #8,284.
FAQ
Ressler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ressler?
Name Census estimates that about 4,390 living Americans carry the surname Ressler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,076 residents.
How common is Ressler?
Ressler ranks #8,284 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.28 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 3,828 people with the surname Ressler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,390), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.28 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 Ressler.
Has Ressler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ressler went from 4,442 recorded bearers to 3,828. That is a decrease of 614 (-13.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,497 to #8,284.
What does the Census say about the background of Ressler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ressler, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Ressler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (3,574 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ressler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Ressler (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 Ressler mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German "ræzzeler," meaning a cloth dresser or cloth maker. 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 Ressler (1.28 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 Ressler?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.