2000
#112,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Wasmundt
An Old German surname derived from the words "was" (a grassy meadow) and "mund" (mouth or entrance).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 177 Americans carry the last name Wasmundt. That puts it at #119,015 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,936,465 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wasmundt 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
177
1 in 1,936,465
Census rank
#119,015
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
154
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 154 bearers of the surname Wasmundt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 119015th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasmundt, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.3%) and Black (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wasmundt
The surname Wasmundt is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the late medieval period. Its earliest known form, "Wasmunt," is believed to have emerged in the 14th century from the northern German regions of Lower Saxony and Mecklenburg.
The name Wasmundt is thought to be derived from the Old German words "was," meaning "growth" or "increase," and "mund," which translates to "mouth" or "opening." This linguistic fusion suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone living near a river mouth or a location where a stream emerged from a mountainous region.
Historically, the name Wasmundt appears in several ancient records and manuscripts, including the Hanoverian Land Register of 1497, where it is listed as a surname belonging to a family residing in the town of Uelzen, near the banks of the Ilmenau River.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the Wasmundt name was Hans Wasmundt, a merchant and landowner born in Lübeck in 1512. His son, Johann Wasmundt (1543-1613), was a renowned scholar and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Rostock.
In the 17th century, the Wasmundt family gained prominence in the region of Saxony-Anhalt, where several members held influential positions in local governance and academia. Notable figures from this era include Christoph Wasmundt (1618-1688), a jurist and mayor of the city of Halle, and his son, Johann Friedrich Wasmundt (1659-1717), a professor of medicine at the University of Leipzig.
The name Wasmundt has also been associated with various place names and older spellings, such as "Wasemunde" and "Wasemunt," which were used to refer to settlements near river mouths or estuaries.
In the 19th century, the Wasmundt surname gained recognition through the achievements of Karl Wasmundt (1821-1884), a German historian and author who published several influential works on the history of Saxony and Thuringia.
Throughout its long history, the surname Wasmundt has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including scholars, merchants, civic leaders, and professionals. While the name's prevalence may have fluctuated over time, its enduring presence serves as a testament to its deep-rooted origins and the rich cultural heritage of the Germanic regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wasmundt
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasmundt, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.3%) and Black (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Wasmundt 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 Wasmundt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.8% · 149
- Two or more races1.3% · 2
- Black or African American0.6% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wasmundt
Wasmundt 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
#111,988
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 157
+12 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 377 places
2020
#119,015
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 154
-3 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 7,027 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,365 | 145 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #111,988 | 157 | 0.05 | +12 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 377 places |
| 2020 | #119,015 | 154 | 0.05 | -3 bearers (-1.9%) | Down 7,027 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 Wasmundt 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 | #111,988 | #119,015 | -6.3% |
| Count | 157 | 154 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | 3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wasmundt bearers went from 157 to 154 (-1.9% change). The surname moved down 7,027 positions in the national ranking, going from #111,988 to #119,015.
FAQ
Wasmundt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wasmundt?
Name Census estimates that about 177 living Americans carry the surname Wasmundt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,936,465 residents.
How common is Wasmundt?
Wasmundt ranks #119,015 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 154 people with the surname Wasmundt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (177), 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 Wasmundt.
Has Wasmundt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wasmundt went from 157 recorded bearers to 154. That is a decrease of 3 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #111,988 to #119,015.
What does the Census say about the background of Wasmundt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasmundt, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.3%) and Black (0.6%). 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 Wasmundt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.8% (149 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wasmundt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.8%), Two or More Races (1.3%), Black (0.6%). 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 Wasmundt (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 Wasmundt mean?
An Old German surname derived from the words "was" (a grassy meadow) and "mund" (mouth or entrance). 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 Wasmundt (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 Wasmundt?
You can see how many people have the surname Wasmundt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.