2000
#9,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Tressler
An occupational surname of German origin referring to a carpenter specializing in building stairs or stair railings.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,362 Americans carry the last name Tressler. That puts it at #10,458 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,950 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Tressler 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
3.4K
1 in 101,950
Census rank
#10,458
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,932 bearers of the surname Tressler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10458th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Tressler, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Tressler
The surname Tressler has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the late medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old High German word "tresler," which referred to a thresher, or someone who threshed grain. The occupation of threshing was a crucial part of the agricultural process, separating the edible grains from the inedible chaff.
In the early 15th century, records show the name appearing in various forms, such as "Tresler," "Tressler," and "Treseler," indicating regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Nuremberg Chronicle, a historical manuscript published in 1493, which mentions a "Johannes Treseler" among the citizens of the city.
The name Tressler is closely associated with the German regions of Bavaria and Franconia, where many families bearing this surname resided. One notable example is the Tressler family from the town of Ansbach, who can trace their lineage back to the 16th century. In 1572, a certain Hans Tressler was recorded as a prominent landowner and member of the local council.
As the German diaspora spread across Europe and later to the Americas, the Tressler name traveled with them. In the 18th century, several Tressler families immigrated to Pennsylvania, where they established themselves as farmers and tradesmen. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States is that of Johann Michael Tressler, who was born in 1721 in the Palatinate region of Germany and later settled in York County, Pennsylvania.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the surname Tressler. One such figure was Johann Tressler (1585-1638), a renowned German cartographer and mapmaker who produced detailed maps of various regions in Europe. Another notable Tressler was Wilhelm Tressler (1815-1892), a German philosopher and educator who made significant contributions to the field of pedagogy.
In the realm of literature, David Tressler (1870-1947) was an American author and educator, best known for his works on English grammar and composition. Meanwhile, in the world of sports, Carl Tressler (1900-1979) was a professional baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Boston Red Sox in the 1920s.
While the surname Tressler may have evolved over time, its origins lie deeply rooted in the agricultural traditions of medieval Germany, reflecting the importance of the threshing occupation in that era. From humble beginnings, the name has since spread across continents, carried by individuals who have left their mark in various fields and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Tressler
Among Census respondents with the surname Tressler, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Tressler 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 Tressler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 2,763
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 78
- Two or more races2.1% · 62
- Black or African American0.4% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Tressler
Tressler 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
#9,245
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,521
+395 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Up 298 places
2020
#10,458
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,932
-589 bearers (-16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 1,213 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,543 | 3,126 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,245 | 3,521 | 1.19 | +395 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 298 places |
| 2020 | #10,458 | 2,932 | 0.98 | -589 bearers (-16.7%) | Down 1,213 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 Tressler 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 | #9,245 | #10,458 | -13.1% |
| Count | 3,521 | 2,932 | -16.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 0.98 | -17.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Tressler bearers went from 3,521 to 2,932 (-16.7% change). The surname moved down 1,213 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,245 to #10,458.
FAQ
Tressler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Tressler?
Name Census estimates that about 3,362 living Americans carry the surname Tressler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,950 residents.
How common is Tressler?
Tressler ranks #10,458 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 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 2,932 people with the surname Tressler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,362), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 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 Tressler.
Has Tressler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Tressler went from 3,521 recorded bearers to 2,932. That is a decrease of 589 (-16.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,245 to #10,458.
What does the Census say about the background of Tressler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Tressler, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Tressler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (2,763 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Tressler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Tressler (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 Tressler mean?
An occupational surname of German origin referring to a carpenter specializing in building stairs or stair railings. 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 Tressler (0.98 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 share the surname Tressler?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.