2000
#29,728
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 747
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.28
Very Rare Last name
Wasmund
Of Germanic origin, possibly a locational name relating to a settlement on or near water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 870 Americans carry the last name Wasmund. That puts it at #32,481 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 393,971 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wasmund 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
870
1 in 393,971
Census rank
#32,481
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
759
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 759 bearers of the surname Wasmund in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 32481st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasmund, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wasmund
The surname Wasmund originates from Germany, where it first emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Germanic words "wasi," meaning meadow, and "mund," meaning protection, suggesting that the name may have referred to someone who lived near or owned a protected meadow.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Wasmund can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name may have been particularly prevalent in the Saxony area of Germany during that time.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the name Wasmund was Johannes Wasmund, a scholar and theologian born in Lübeck, Germany, around 1350. He is known for his contributions to the study of canon law and his works on ecclesiastical jurisprudence.
During the Renaissance period, the name Wasmund appeared in several records from various German cities. For instance, in 1512, a merchant named Hans Wasmund was mentioned in documents from the city of Nuremberg, indicating the presence of the name in that region.
Another notable individual with the surname Wasmund was Matthias Wasmund, a German composer and organist born in Saxony around 1610. He is renowned for his compositions for organ and his contributions to the development of baroque music in Germany.
In the 18th century, the name Wasmund was associated with the noble family of Von Wasmund, who held significant land and titles in the regions of Brandenburg and Pomerania. One member of this family, Friedrich Wilhelm von Wasmund, was a prominent military officer who served in the Prussian army during the Seven Years' War (1756-1763).
As the surname Wasmund spread beyond Germany, it also found its way into other European countries. For instance, in the late 19th century, a Swedish artist named Carl Wasmund gained recognition for his landscape paintings depicting the natural beauty of Scandinavia.
Throughout its history, the surname Wasmund has been linked to various occupations, from scholars and artists to merchants and military figures, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of those who bore this name across different regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wasmund
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasmund, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Wasmund 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 Wasmund surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 697
- Two or more races3.8% · 29
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 26
- Black or African American0.4% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wasmund
Wasmund 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
#31,329
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 740
-7 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 1,601 places
2020
#32,481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 759
+19 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.25
Rank movement Down 1,152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,728 | 747 | 0.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #31,329 | 740 | 0.25 | -7 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,601 places |
| 2020 | #32,481 | 759 | 0.25 | +19 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 1,152 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 Wasmund 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 | #31,329 | #32,481 | -3.7% |
| Count | 740 | 759 | 2.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.25 | 0.25 | 1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wasmund bearers went from 740 to 759 (+2.6% change). The surname moved down 1,152 positions in the national ranking, going from #31,329 to #32,481.
FAQ
Wasmund surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wasmund?
Name Census estimates that about 870 living Americans carry the surname Wasmund. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 393,971 residents.
How common is Wasmund?
Wasmund ranks #32,481 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.25 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 759 people with the surname Wasmund. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (870), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.25 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 Wasmund.
Has Wasmund become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wasmund went from 740 recorded bearers to 759. That is an increase of 19 (+2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #31,329 to #32,481.
What does the Census say about the background of Wasmund?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasmund, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Wasmund in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (697 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wasmund appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Wasmund (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 Wasmund mean?
Of Germanic origin, possibly a locational name relating to a settlement on or near water. 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 Wasmund (0.25 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 common is the surname Wasmund?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Wasmund on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.