2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Wurstner
A German or Bavarian surname derived from the German word "Wurst" meaning sausage or sausage maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Wurstner. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Wurstner 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Wurstner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Wurstner, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Wurstner
The surname Wurstner likely finds its roots in the German-speaking regions of Europe. Earliest traces suggest that it originated in the southern parts of Germany, particularly in areas such as Bavaria or Baden-Württemberg. The name appears to have emerged in the medieval period, around the 12th to 14th centuries, a time when family names began to become more formalized.
The etymology of Wurstner is intriguing. The name seems to be derived from several old German words. The word "Wurst" translates to sausage in English, and it could signify a person who was a sausage maker, a fairly common occupation in medieval Europe. The suffix "-ner" often denoted someone associated with a particular trade or place. Therefore, Wurstner probably referred to someone who was a producer or vendor of sausages.
Historical records reveal glimpses of the name Wurstner in various medieval manuscripts. For instance, a Johann Wurstner appeared in a tax record in Swabia dated 1378. Another early mention can be found in a legal document from 1423, involving a Heinrich Wurstner who was a witness in a property dispute in Bavaria. Such records indicate the presence and establishment of the surname within these regions during that era.
The 16th century saw the name Wurstner appearing in several guild records across southern Germany. A notable individual was Hans Wurstner (1502-1572), a master butcher known for his quality sausages in Nuremberg. Another significant figure includes Margaretha Wurstner (1561-1619), who managed a butchery and tavern in Munich, often frequented by traveling merchants.
Moving into the 17th century, the name spreads slightly northward. A Christoph Wurstner (1623-1685) is documented as a participant in the Thirty Years' War, serving as a supplier of provisions. Johann Georg Wurstner (1650-1715), a notable craftsman and member of the Frankfurt Butchers’ Guild, is one of the prominent individuals bearing the name during this period.
In the 18th century, as families moved and re-established themselves due to shifting political landscapes and economic opportunities, the surname Wurstner began appearing in neighboring countries. Records from 1750 mention a Michael Wurstner, who relocated to Vienna and continued the family trade as a butcher.
By tracing these historical figures and their records, it becomes evident that the surname Wurstner has rich and varied roots, intertwining with the history and occupational traditions of Germany and its adjacent regions over several centuries. The name carries an inherent connection to the trade of sausage-making, an occupation that was vital to medieval and early modern European society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Wurstner
Among Census respondents with the surname Wurstner, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Wurstner 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 Wurstner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 113
Timeline
Historical Census data for Wurstner
Wurstner 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+16 bearers (+14.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,195 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-11 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,628 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+14.8%) | Up 6,195 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 11,628 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 Wurstner 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 | #135,593 | #147,221 | -8.6% |
| Count | 124 | 113 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Wurstner bearers went from 124 to 113 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 11,628 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #147,221.
FAQ
Wurstner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Wurstner?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Wurstner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Wurstner?
Wurstner ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Wurstner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Wurstner.
Has Wurstner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Wurstner went from 124 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Wurstner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Wurstner, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Wurstner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (113 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Wurstner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Wurstner (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 Wurstner mean?
A German or Bavarian surname derived from the German word "Wurst" meaning sausage or sausage maker. 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 Wurstner (0.04 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 surname Wurstner?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.