2000
#4,853
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,638
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.46
Rare Last name
Wasserman
A German occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked near water, such as a fisherman or boatman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,068 Americans carry the last name Wasserman. That puts it at #5,454 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,494 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wasserman 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
7.1K
1 in 48,494
Census rank
#5,454
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,164 bearers of the surname Wasserman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5454th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasserman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wasserman
The surname Wasserman is of German origin, with its roots traceable back to the Middle Ages. It is an occupational name derived from the German words "Wasser" meaning water and "Mann" meaning man, referring to someone who worked with water, such as a ferryman, fisherman, or miller.
The earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in various German records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Wasserman, a ferryman who lived in the town of Nuremberg in the late 13th century.
As the surname spread across the German-speaking regions of Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Wassermann, Wassermänner, and Wassermeyer. These variations often reflected regional dialects and the preferences of local scribes.
The Wasserman name appears in several historical documents, including the Nibelungenlied, a famous German epic poem from the 13th century. The poem mentions a character named Wasserman, though it is unclear whether this was a reference to a specific individual or a general occupational title.
Throughout history, the Wasserman surname has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the most prominent was Johann Wasserman (1507-1564), a German Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation movement.
Another notable bearer of the name was Friedrich Wasserman (1811-1887), a German-born American architect who designed several iconic buildings in New York City, including the Astor Library and the Old New York Produce Exchange.
In the 20th century, Jakob Wasserman (1873-1934) was a German novelist and playwright, known for his works exploring themes of Jewish identity and the impact of World War I on German society.
August von Wasserman (1866-1925), a German bacteriologist, is renowned for developing the Wasserman test, a diagnostic tool for detecting syphilis, which was a significant advancement in the field of medicine.
Finally, Lew Wasserman (1913-2002), an American entertainment executive, played a pivotal role in shaping the modern entertainment industry as the long-time chairman of MCA Inc., one of the largest talent agencies and production companies of its time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wasserman
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasserman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Wasserman 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 Wasserman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 5,688
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 231
- Two or more races2.2% · 137
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 79
- Black or African American0.4% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wasserman
Wasserman 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
#5,297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,577
-61 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 2.23
Rank movement Down 444 places
2020
#5,454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,164
-413 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 2.06
Rank movement Down 157 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,853 | 6,638 | 2.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,297 | 6,577 | 2.23 | -61 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 444 places |
| 2020 | #5,454 | 6,164 | 2.06 | -413 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 157 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 Wasserman 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 | #5,297 | #5,454 | -3.0% |
| Count | 6,577 | 6,164 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.23 | 2.06 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wasserman bearers went from 6,577 to 6,164 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 157 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,297 to #5,454.
FAQ
Wasserman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wasserman?
Name Census estimates that about 7,068 living Americans carry the surname Wasserman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,494 residents.
How common is Wasserman?
Wasserman ranks #5,454 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.06 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,164 people with the surname Wasserman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,068), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.06 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Wasserman.
Has Wasserman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wasserman went from 6,577 recorded bearers to 6,164. That is a decrease of 413 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,297 to #5,454.
What does the Census say about the background of Wasserman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wasserman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Wasserman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (5,688 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wasserman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Wasserman (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 Wasserman mean?
A German occupational surname referring to someone who lived or worked near water, such as a fisherman or boatman. 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 Wasserman (2.06 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 are called Wasserman?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Wasserman at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.