2000
#74,957
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 240
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Toensing
A surname derived from a German place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 287 Americans carry the last name Toensing. That puts it at #81,574 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,194,266 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Toensing 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
287
1 in 1,194,266
Census rank
#81,574
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
250
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 250 bearers of the surname Toensing in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 81574th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Toensing, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Toensing
The surname Toensing is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the northern regions near the North Sea coast. It is thought to be derived from the Low German word "tonen," which translates to "show" or "display." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a profession or occupation related to presenting or exhibiting goods or services.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Toensing can be traced back to the 16th century in various German provincial records and church registers. It is believed that the name first emerged in the coastal regions of northern Germany, particularly in areas around modern-day Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Toensing was Hans Toensing, a merchant and trader who lived in the town of Lübeck in the late 16th century. Lübeck, a prominent member of the Hanseatic League, was a major center of trade and commerce during that time, lending credence to the theory that the name was associated with commercial activities.
In the 17th century, the name appears in several records from the Duchy of Bremen, a historical territory located in what is now northwestern Germany. Notable figures from this period include Johann Toensing, a Lutheran clergyman born in 1632, and Hans-Dieter Toensing, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Worpswede in the late 1600s.
As the Toensing family dispersed throughout northern Germany and neighboring regions, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged. Some examples include Tönsing, Tönssing, and Tönsingk, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the area.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, several individuals with the surname Toensing made significant contributions in various fields. Notable examples include:
1. Wilhelm Toensing (1776-1845), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a judge and published influential works on civil law.
2. Anna Toensing (1812-1889), a renowned educator and advocate for women's rights in the city of Hamburg.
3. Friedrich Toensing (1832-1911), a prominent painter and artist from the Worpswede artists' colony, known for his landscapes and portraiture.
4. Ernst Toensing (1870-1942), a German naval officer and admiral who served in both World Wars.
5. Helga Toensing (1908-1992), a celebrated actress and performer in German theater and film.
While the surname Toensing has its roots in northern Germany, it has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, carried by generations of families and individuals who have made their mark in various spheres of life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toensing
Among Census respondents with the surname Toensing, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Toensing 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 Toensing surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 238
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 8
- Two or more races1.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Toensing
Toensing 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
#75,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 257
+17 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 112 places
2020
#81,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 250
-7 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 6,505 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #74,957 | 240 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #75,069 | 257 | 0.09 | +17 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 112 places |
| 2020 | #81,574 | 250 | 0.08 | -7 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 6,505 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 Toensing 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 | #75,069 | #81,574 | -8.7% |
| Count | 257 | 250 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.08 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Toensing bearers went from 257 to 250 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 6,505 positions in the national ranking, going from #75,069 to #81,574.
FAQ
Toensing surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Toensing?
Name Census estimates that about 287 living Americans carry the surname Toensing. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,194,266 residents.
How common is Toensing?
Toensing ranks #81,574 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 250 people with the surname Toensing. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (287), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Toensing.
Has Toensing become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Toensing went from 257 recorded bearers to 250. That is a decrease of 7 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #75,069 to #81,574.
What does the Census say about the background of Toensing?
Among Census respondents with the surname Toensing, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Toensing in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (238 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Toensing appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (1.6%). 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 Toensing (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 Toensing mean?
A surname derived from a German place name. 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 Toensing (0.08 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 Toensing?
See how many people are called Toensing on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.