2000
#2,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,719
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.09
Uncommon Last name
Strauss
A German and Jewish surname referring to someone who lived near or worked with ostrich (strauss) feathers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,943 Americans carry the last name Strauss. That puts it at #2,701 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,937 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Strauss 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Strauss with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,937
Census rank
#2,701
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,031 bearers of the surname Strauss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2701st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Strauss, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Strauss
The surname Strauss has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged during the medieval period. The name is derived from the German word 'Strauße', meaning 'ostrich feather' or 'bouquet of feathers', and likely referred to a distinctive feature or occupation associated with the family's earliest known bearers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Strauss surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, which mentions a 'Conradus Struz' in the year 1292. This early spelling variation, 'Struz', further suggests the name's connection to the German word for feather.
As the Strauss family spread throughout various regions of Germany, the name underwent slight spelling variations, such as 'Strauß' and 'Straus'. In the 15th century, records from the city of Nuremberg mention a 'Hans Strauß', who was a prominent merchant and member of the local guild.
The Strauss surname has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. Johann Strauss Sr. (1804-1849), an Austrian composer and violinist, is considered the founder of the Strauss musical dynasty. His sons, Johann Strauss Jr. (1825-1899) and Josef Strauss (1827-1870), carried on the family's musical legacy and became renowned composers of waltzes and operettas.
Another notable bearer of the Strauss surname was David Friedrich Strauss (1808-1874), a German philosopher and writer who authored the influential work 'The Life of Jesus Critically Examined'. In the field of science, Johann Strauss (1675-1726) was a German botanist and physician who made significant contributions to the study of plant physiology.
The Strauss name has also been prominent in the realm of business and industry. Levi Strauss (1829-1902), a German-American businessman, founded the iconic Levi Strauss & Co. and popularized the use of denim in the production of work pants, now known as blue jeans.
While the Strauss surname has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with descendants bearing the name in countries such as the United States, Austria, and others. The name's enduring legacy serves as a testament to its rich history and the significant contributions made by its bearers across various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Strauss
Among Census respondents with the surname Strauss, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Strauss 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 Strauss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 11,827
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 506
- Two or more races2.6% · 343
- Black or African American1.6% · 210
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 120
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Strauss
Strauss 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
#2,604
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,840
+121 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 4.69
Rank movement Down 184 places
2020
#2,701
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,031
-809 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 4.36
Rank movement Down 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,420 | 13,719 | 5.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,604 | 13,840 | 4.69 | +121 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 184 places |
| 2020 | #2,701 | 13,031 | 4.36 | -809 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 97 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 Strauss 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 | #2,604 | #2,701 | -3.7% |
| Count | 13,840 | 13,031 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 4.69 | 4.36 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Strauss bearers went from 13,840 to 13,031 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,604 to #2,701.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Strauss
FAQ
Strauss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Strauss?
Name Census estimates that about 14,943 living Americans carry the surname Strauss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,937 residents.
How common is Strauss?
Strauss ranks #2,701 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.36 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,031 people with the surname Strauss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,943), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.36 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Strauss.
Has Strauss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Strauss went from 13,840 recorded bearers to 13,031. That is a decrease of 809 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,604 to #2,701.
What does the Census say about the background of Strauss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Strauss, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Strauss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (11,827 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Strauss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Strauss (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 Strauss mean?
A German and Jewish surname referring to someone who lived near or worked with ostrich (strauss) feathers. 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 Strauss (4.36 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 Strauss?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Strauss at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.