2000
#17,101
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,531
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.57
Rare Last name
Tessmer
A German surname derived from the Germanic name Thiedmar, meaning "great people".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,703 Americans carry the last name Tessmer. That puts it at #18,431 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 201,265 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tessmer 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 201,265
Census rank
#18,431
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,485 bearers of the surname Tessmer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18431st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tessmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tessmer
The surname Tessmer is of German origin and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Saxony-Anhalt, a state in central Germany. Tessmer is thought to be derived from the Old German words "ter" meaning tar and "smer" meaning greaser or tar maker, indicating that the name's earliest bearers were likely involved in the production or trade of tar.
The name Tessmer first appeared in historical records during the 13th century. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Brehna town records of 1287, where a Hans Tessmer is listed as a resident. Another early reference is in the Eisleben parish registers from 1392, which document a Gregor Tessmer.
In the 16th century, the name Tessmer began to appear in various other parts of Germany, with records showing individuals with this surname in regions such as Brandenburg and Saxony. During this time, the name was sometimes spelled with variations like Tessmar or Tessmehr.
Notable individuals with the surname Tessmer throughout history include Johann Tessmer (1550-1621), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Leipzig, and Hans Tessmer (1602-1678), a respected theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg.
Other historical figures bearing the name Tessmer include Friedrich Tessmer (1712-1786), a German composer and organist who served at the court of Prince-Bishop Philipp Gotthard von Galen in Münster, and Johanna Tessmer (1825-1901), a renowned German painter known for her landscape and genre works.
In the late 19th century, a branch of the Tessmer family emigrated to the United States, with records indicating that a Wilhelm Tessmer and his wife, Anna, settled in Wisconsin in 1885. Their son, August Tessmer (1870-1942), became a prominent businessman and community leader in the city of Milwaukee.
While the surname Tessmer is not among the most common in Germany today, it has a rich historical legacy spanning several centuries and can be traced back to its origins in the medieval tar-making trade in central Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tessmer
Among Census respondents with the surname Tessmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Tessmer 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 Tessmer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.8% · 1,423
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 33
- Two or more races1.3% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tessmer
Tessmer 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
#18,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,455
-76 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Down 1,718 places
2020
#18,431
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,485
+30 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Up 388 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,101 | 1,531 | 0.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,819 | 1,455 | 0.49 | -76 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 1,718 places |
| 2020 | #18,431 | 1,485 | 0.50 | +30 bearers (+2.1%) | Up 388 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 Tessmer 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 | #18,819 | #18,431 | 2.1% |
| Count | 1,455 | 1,485 | 2.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.49 | 0.50 | 1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tessmer bearers went from 1,455 to 1,485 (+2.1% change). The surname moved up 388 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,819 to #18,431.
FAQ
Tessmer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tessmer?
Name Census estimates that about 1,703 living Americans carry the surname Tessmer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 201,265 residents.
How common is Tessmer?
Tessmer ranks #18,431 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.50 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 1,485 people with the surname Tessmer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,703), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.50 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 Tessmer.
Has Tessmer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tessmer went from 1,455 recorded bearers to 1,485. That is an increase of 30 (+2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,819 to #18,431.
What does the Census say about the background of Tessmer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tessmer, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Tessmer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.8% (1,423 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tessmer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.8%), Hispanic (2.2%), Two or More Races (1.3%). 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 Tessmer (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 Tessmer mean?
A German surname derived from the Germanic name Thiedmar, meaning "great people". 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 Tessmer (0.50 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 are called Tessmer?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Tessmer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.