2000
#97,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 172
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Utsinger
A surname indicating someone who lived on the outskirts or outer reaches of a place.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 163 Americans carry the last name Utsinger. That puts it at #126,357 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,102,787 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Utsinger 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
163
1 in 2,102,787
Census rank
#126,357
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
142
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 142 bearers of the surname Utsinger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 126357th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Utsinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Utsinger
The surname Utsinger originates from Germany, likely emerging during the late medieval period between the 12th and 15th centuries. It is believed to have derived from a place name or topographic feature, as many German surnames did during this era.
One theory suggests that Utsinger might be a variation of the German word "Außinger," which means "outsider" or "one who lives on the outskirts." This could indicate that the name's earliest bearers resided on the fringes of a town or village. Another possibility is that Utsinger is linked to the German word "Aue," meaning "meadow" or "floodplain," suggesting the name may have originated from a location near such a landscape feature.
Early documented references to the Utsinger name are scarce, but it is possible that it appeared in local parish records or tax rolls from the 14th or 15th centuries in various regions of Germany. Unfortunately, many historical records from that period have been lost or destroyed over time.
One of the earliest known individuals bearing the Utsinger surname was Hans Utsinger, a blacksmith who lived in the town of Nuremberg, Germany, during the late 15th century. Records indicate he was born around 1460 and died in 1521.
Another notable figure was Johann Utsinger, a Protestant reformer and theologian who lived in the 16th century. He was born in Strasbourg, Germany, in 1521 and played a significant role in the Reformation movement, authoring several theological works before his death in 1599.
In the 17th century, a man named Georg Utsinger (1638-1718) gained recognition as a skilled clockmaker and watchmaker in the German city of Augsburg. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the wealthy and aristocratic classes of the time.
Moving into the 18th century, the name Utsinger appeared in the historical records of the Palatinate region of Germany. One such individual was Johannes Utsinger (1702-1778), a prominent vintner who owned several successful vineyards in the area.
Lastly, in the 19th century, a German-American painter named Friedrich Utsinger (1829-1891) achieved some fame for his landscapes and portraits. Born in Bavaria, he immigrated to the United States in the 1850s and settled in Philadelphia, where he continued his artistic career.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Utsinger
Among Census respondents with the surname Utsinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Utsinger 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 Utsinger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.1% · 135
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 2
- Two or more races0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Utsinger
Utsinger 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
#104,602
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 171
-1 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Down 6,754 places
2020
#126,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
-29 bearers (-17.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 21,755 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #97,848 | 172 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #104,602 | 171 | 0.06 | -1 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 6,754 places |
| 2020 | #126,357 | 142 | 0.05 | -29 bearers (-17.0%) | Down 21,755 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 Utsinger 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 | #104,602 | #126,357 | -20.8% |
| Count | 171 | 142 | -17.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.05 | -20.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Utsinger bearers went from 171 to 142 (-17.0% change). The surname moved down 21,755 positions in the national ranking, going from #104,602 to #126,357.
FAQ
Utsinger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Utsinger?
Name Census estimates that about 163 living Americans carry the surname Utsinger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,102,787 residents.
How common is Utsinger?
Utsinger ranks #126,357 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 142 people with the surname Utsinger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (163), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Utsinger.
Has Utsinger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Utsinger went from 171 recorded bearers to 142. That is a decrease of 29 (-17.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #104,602 to #126,357.
What does the Census say about the background of Utsinger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Utsinger, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). 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 Utsinger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (135 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Utsinger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.1%), Hispanic (2.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.4%). 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 Utsinger (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 Utsinger mean?
A surname indicating someone who lived on the outskirts or outer reaches of a place. 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 Utsinger (0.05 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 Utsinger?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Utsinger at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.