2000
#5,982
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,300
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.96
Rare Last name
Theisen
A surname of German origin, derived from the given name Matthias or Matthäus, meaning "gift of Yahweh."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,244 Americans carry the last name Theisen. That puts it at #6,059 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,893 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Theisen 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
6.2K
1 in 54,893
Census rank
#6,059
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,445 bearers of the surname Theisen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6059th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Theisen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Theisen
The surname Theisen originates from Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle German word "theis," meaning "worker" or "laborer." This suggests that the name may have initially been used as an occupational surname for those employed in manual labor.
The name Theisen is predominantly found in the regions of Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, and Hesse in western Germany. It was particularly prevalent in the towns and villages surrounding the cities of Trier and Saarbrücken. Some variations in spelling, such as Theißen and Theijsen, were also common in these areas during the early modern period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Theisen can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Trier, which date back to the late 16th century. These records mention a Johann Theisen, who was born in 1587.
In the 17th century, a notable bearer of the name was Johann Theisen (1597-1667), a German Protestant theologian and author from the city of Saarbrücken. He wrote several works on theology and religious controversies of the time.
During the 18th century, the Theisen surname gained further recognition with the birth of Johann Friedrich Theisen (1768-1826), a German composer and organist from the town of Frankenberg in Hesse. He composed numerous works for organ and other instruments, and was highly regarded in his time.
Another prominent individual with the surname Theisen was Karl Theisen (1823-1901), a German politician and lawyer from Trier. He served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives and was involved in the unification of Germany in the late 19th century.
In the 20th century, one of the most notable bearers of the name was Gustav Theisen (1899-1976), a German physicist and academic. He made significant contributions to the fields of nuclear physics and quantum mechanics, and held professorships at several prestigious universities in Germany.
While the surname Theisen has its roots in western Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration. However, its origins and historical significance can be traced back to the regions of Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, and Hesse, where it first emerged as an occupational surname during the 16th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Theisen
Among Census respondents with the surname Theisen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Theisen 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 Theisen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.4% · 5,086
- Two or more races2.8% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 136
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 39
- Black or African American0.5% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Theisen
Theisen 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
#6,025
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,707
+407 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.93
Rank movement Down 43 places
2020
#6,059
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,445
-262 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,982 | 5,300 | 1.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,025 | 5,707 | 1.93 | +407 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 43 places |
| 2020 | #6,059 | 5,445 | 1.82 | -262 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 34 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 Theisen 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 | #6,025 | #6,059 | -0.6% |
| Count | 5,707 | 5,445 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.93 | 1.82 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Theisen bearers went from 5,707 to 5,445 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,025 to #6,059.
FAQ
Theisen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Theisen?
Name Census estimates that about 6,244 living Americans carry the surname Theisen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,893 residents.
How common is Theisen?
Theisen ranks #6,059 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,445 people with the surname Theisen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,244), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Theisen.
Has Theisen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Theisen went from 5,707 recorded bearers to 5,445. That is a decrease of 262 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,025 to #6,059.
What does the Census say about the background of Theisen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Theisen, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Theisen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (5,086 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Theisen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Theisen (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 Theisen mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from the given name Matthias or Matthäus, meaning "gift of Yahweh." 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 Theisen (1.82 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 surname Theisen?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.