Find out how popular the last name Wasser is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Wasser.

Wasser, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Wasser surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Wasser in America

Wasser is the 14268th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Wasser surname appeared 2,099 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Wasser.

We can also compare 2010 data for Wasser to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Wasser

The surname Wasser is of German origin, derived from the German word "wasser," which means "water." This surname likely originated during the Middle Ages, possibly as early as the 11th or 12th century.

The name Wasser was likely first adopted by individuals who lived near a body of water, such as a river, lake, or stream. It may have been used as a descriptive surname to identify someone who lived near a specific water source or worked in a water-related occupation, such as a fisherman or a miller.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Wasser can be found in the "Codex Diplomaticus Silesiae," a collection of historical documents from the region of Silesia, which is now part of Poland and Germany. The name appears in a document dated 1292, referring to a person named "Henricus Wasser."

In the 14th century, the name Wasser appears in various records from the region of Saxony, which was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. One notable individual was Johann Wasser, a merchant who lived in the city of Leipzig in the late 1300s.

During the Renaissance period, the name Wasser gained prominence in the arts and sciences. Hans Wasser (1492-1556) was a German painter and printmaker known for his religious works and portraits. He was particularly renowned for his woodcuts and engravings.

In the 17th century, Friedrich Wasser (1610-1677) was a German astronomer and mathematician. He made significant contributions to the study of comets and planetary motion, and his work was influential in the development of modern astronomy.

Another notable figure was Johann Philipp Wasser (1742-1805), a German composer and violinist. He was a prominent figure in the classical music scene of his time and composed numerous works for violin and orchestra.

During the 19th century, the surname Wasser continued to be found throughout Germany and other German-speaking regions. One notable individual was Karl Wasser (1812-1887), a German philosopher and writer who was known for his works on ethics and social reform.

Throughout history, the surname Wasser has been found in various spellings, such as Wasser, Wasser, Wasser, and Wasserr, reflecting regional variations and linguistic changes over time. However, the core meaning of the name, derived from the German word for "water," has remained consistent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Wasser

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Wasser.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Wasser was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Wasser has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Wasser was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Wasser, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!