2000
#16,871
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,557
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Salzer
A German surname referring to a maker or seller of salt.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,679 Americans carry the last name Salzer. That puts it at #18,622 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 204,142 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salzer 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
1.7K
1 in 204,142
Census rank
#18,622
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,464 bearers of the surname Salzer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18622nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salzer
The surname Salzer is of German origin, deriving from the Middle High German word "salz," meaning "salt," and the suffix "-er," indicating an occupation or place of origin. This suggests that the name initially referred to someone who worked with salt, such as a salt miner, seller, or purveyor.
The name can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around the Salzburg region, where salt mining and trade were prominent industries. The earliest known records of the name appear in medieval documents from this region.
One notable historical reference is the mention of a Heinrich Salzer in the Bergbuch, a 14th-century mining law code from the Erzgebirge region of Saxony. This indicates that individuals with this surname were involved in mining activities, potentially including salt mining, during that era.
In the 15th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Salczer, Salzher, and Saltzman, reflecting regional spelling variations. Some early bearers of this surname include Hans Salzer (c. 1420-1490), a saltworks manager in Hallstatt, Austria, and Konrad Salzer (1459-1519), a renowned salt trader from Berchtesgaden, Bavaria.
The name continued to be prominent in areas known for salt production and trade throughout the centuries. Notable individuals include Johann Salzer (1670-1738), a salt merchant from Salzburg, and Karl Salzer (1798-1858), a salt mine owner and industrialist from Hallein, Austria.
In the 19th century, the surname Salzer was also found among German immigrants to North America, particularly in regions like Pennsylvania and Ohio, where salt mining and production were significant industries. One notable figure was Jacob Salzer (1827-1909), a German-American industrialist who established a successful salt production company in Ellsworth, Kansas.
Other notable individuals with the surname Salzer include the German artist and painter Karl Salzer (1857-1915), the Austrian chemist and inventor of the Salzer lead-acid battery, Franz Salzer (1888-1976), and the American baseball player Gerry Salzer (1923-2012).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salzer
Among Census respondents with the surname Salzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Salzer 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 Salzer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 1,334
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 63
- Two or more races3.1% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salzer
Salzer 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
#18,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,543
-14 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.52
Rank movement Down 1,197 places
2020
#18,622
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,464
-79 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Down 554 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,871 | 1,557 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,068 | 1,543 | 0.52 | -14 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,197 places |
| 2020 | #18,622 | 1,464 | 0.49 | -79 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 554 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 Salzer 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 | #18,068 | #18,622 | -3.1% |
| Count | 1,543 | 1,464 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.52 | 0.49 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salzer bearers went from 1,543 to 1,464 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 554 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,068 to #18,622.
FAQ
Salzer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salzer?
Name Census estimates that about 1,679 living Americans carry the surname Salzer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 204,142 residents.
How common is Salzer?
Salzer ranks #18,622 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.49 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 1,464 people with the surname Salzer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,679), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.49 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 Salzer.
Has Salzer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salzer went from 1,543 recorded bearers to 1,464. That is a decrease of 79 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #18,068 to #18,622.
What does the Census say about the background of Salzer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salzer, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Salzer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (1,334 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salzer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Salzer (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 Salzer mean?
A German surname referring to a maker or seller of salt. 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 Salzer (0.49 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 Salzer?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Salzer at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.