2010
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Symalla
A locational surname likely denoting someone from a place called Symalla.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Symalla. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Symalla 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Symalla in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Symalla, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Symalla
The surname Symalla is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the region of Saxony, where the name was first recorded in various parish records and local documents.
One of the earliest known references to the Symalla surname can be found in the 1592 tax records of the town of Meissen, where a certain Hans Symalla is listed as a landowner. This suggests that the family had already established itself in the region by that time.
The name Symalla is thought to be derived from the German word "Syme," which was an old term used to describe a boundary or border. This could indicate that the original bearers of the name may have lived near a territorial boundary or were involved in the demarcation of land.
In the 17th century, the Symalla name began to spread beyond Saxony, with records showing families bearing the surname in neighboring regions such as Silesia and Brandenburg. One notable individual from this period was Johann Symalla (1627-1698), a Lutheran theologian and author who served as a pastor in the town of Zittau.
As the centuries progressed, the Symalla surname continued to be found across various parts of Germany. In the 18th century, a branch of the family settled in the town of Nuremberg, where they became involved in the local textile trade. One prominent figure from this era was Friedrich Symalla (1723-1789), a successful merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of a school in his hometown.
Moving into the 19th century, the Symalla name gained recognition through the works of the German poet and writer Wilhelm Symalla (1819-1892). Born in Breslau (now Wrocław, Poland), he authored several volumes of poetry and prose, gaining critical acclaim for his literary contributions.
Another notable figure was Karl Symalla (1873-1941), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities during the early 20th century. His most famous work is the Anhalter Bahnhof, a former railway station in Berlin that was considered a masterpiece of late 19th-century architecture.
Throughout its history, the Symalla surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, from landowners and merchants to academics and artists. While not a particularly common name, it has left its mark on German history and culture over the course of several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Symalla
Among Census respondents with the surname Symalla, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Symalla 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 Symalla surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.2% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 8
- Two or more races5.8% · 7
- Black or African American3.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Symalla
Symalla appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+15 bearers (+14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,858 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.3%) | Up 12,858 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 Symalla 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 | #154,907 | #142,049 | 8.3% |
| Count | 105 | 120 | 14.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Symalla bearers went from 105 to 120 (+14.3% change). The surname moved up 12,858 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #142,049.
FAQ
Symalla surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Symalla?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Symalla. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Symalla?
Symalla ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Symalla. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Symalla.
Has Symalla become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Symalla went from 105 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 15 (+14.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Symalla?
Among Census respondents with the surname Symalla, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Symalla in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.2% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Symalla appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.2%), Hispanic (6.7%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Symalla (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 Symalla mean?
A locational surname likely denoting someone from a place called Symalla. 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 Symalla (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 Symalla?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Symalla at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.