2000
#11,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,595
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.96
Rare Last name
Theiss
A German occupational surname derived from Middle High German "theismus," meaning a collector of tithes or taxes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,757 Americans carry the last name Theiss. That puts it at #12,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,321 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Theiss 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
2.8K
1 in 124,321
Census rank
#12,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,404 bearers of the surname Theiss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Theiss, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Theiss
The surname Theiss has its origins in Germany and Austria, where it emerged in the 13th century. It is derived from the German word "Teich," which means "pond" or "pool." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who lived near a body of water or worked in a profession related to ponds or pools.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Theiss can be found in various medieval documents and records from Germany and Austria. For example, the name appears in the Biberacher Bürgerbuch, a 14th-century registry of citizens in the town of Biberach an der Riss, located in present-day Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
In the 15th century, the name Theiss was also found in the Nuremberg Hussitenkriege, a historical account of the Hussite Wars that occurred between 1419 and 1434. This suggests that individuals with the surname Theiss may have been involved in these conflicts or lived in the areas affected by them.
One notable figure with the surname Theiss was Johann Theiss, a German painter and engraver born in Nuremberg in 1645. He is known for his religious and allegorical works, as well as his engravings depicting scenes from the Bible and Greek mythology.
Another notable individual was Johann Theiss (1669-1719), a German composer and organist who served as the court organist in Sondershausen, Thuringia. His compositions include various organ works, as well as pieces for other instruments.
In the 19th century, the name Theiss was also found in Austria. For instance, Johann Theiss (1801-1867) was an Austrian painter and lithographer from Vienna, known for his landscapes and cityscapes depicting various regions of Austria.
The surname Theiss has also been associated with certain place names, particularly in Germany. For example, the village of Theisshausen in Bavaria was likely named after individuals with the surname Theiss who originally settled in the area.
Over time, the spelling of the surname has undergone some variations, such as Theis, Theiss, Theisz, and Teiss. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in the German word "Teich" and its connection to bodies of water or related professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Theiss
Among Census respondents with the surname Theiss, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Theiss 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 Theiss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 2,204
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 104
- Two or more races3.2% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 13
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Theiss
Theiss 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
#11,940
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,619
+24 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 740 places
2020
#12,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,404
-215 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 399 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,200 | 2,595 | 0.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,940 | 2,619 | 0.89 | +24 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 740 places |
| 2020 | #12,339 | 2,404 | 0.80 | -215 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 399 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 Theiss 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 | #11,940 | #12,339 | -3.3% |
| Count | 2,619 | 2,404 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.80 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Theiss bearers went from 2,619 to 2,404 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 399 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,940 to #12,339.
FAQ
Theiss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Theiss?
Name Census estimates that about 2,757 living Americans carry the surname Theiss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,321 residents.
How common is Theiss?
Theiss ranks #12,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,404 people with the surname Theiss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,757), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Theiss.
Has Theiss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Theiss went from 2,619 recorded bearers to 2,404. That is a decrease of 215 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,940 to #12,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Theiss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Theiss, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Theiss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (2,204 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Theiss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Theiss (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 Theiss mean?
A German occupational surname derived from Middle High German "theismus," meaning a collector of tithes or taxes. 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 Theiss (0.80 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 Theiss?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.