2000
#10,714
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,735
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Gessner
Derived from the Middle High German word "gessenaere," referring to a craftsman who cast metal, such as brass or bronze.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,003 Americans carry the last name Gessner. That puts it at #11,494 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,137 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gessner 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
3.0K
1 in 114,137
Census rank
#11,494
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,619 bearers of the surname Gessner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11494th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gessner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gessner
The surname Gessner originated in Germany and Switzerland, deriving from the Middle High German word "gersener" or "gerser," meaning a grower of vegetables or a gardener. This name was originally an occupational surname given to those who cultivated gardens or grew produce.
The earliest recorded instances of the Gessner surname can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Germany and Switzerland. One of the earliest mentions was in a document from the city of Zurich, Switzerland, dated 1275, which referred to a "Cunradus Gersener."
In Germany, the name was sometimes spelled as "Gärtner" or "Gertner," which also means gardener. Some variations of the spelling included "Gessener," "Gesner," and "Gessner." These different spellings were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions in earlier centuries.
One notable historical figure bearing the Gessner surname was Conrad Gessner (1516-1565), a Swiss naturalist, bibliographer, and philologist. He is considered a pioneer in the field of modern zoology and is known for his extensive works on animal taxonomy and classification.
Another prominent individual was Johann Gessner (1709-1790), a Swiss painter and engraver from Zurich. His etchings and engravings depicted landscapes and scenes from rural life, and he is regarded as one of the most important artists of the 18th century in Switzerland.
In England, the Gessner surname can be traced back to the 16th century, likely introduced by German or Swiss immigrants. One early recorded instance was a William Gessner, who was mentioned in parish records from Oxfordshire in 1589.
The Domesday Book, a historical record compiled in 1086 for William the Conqueror, does not contain any direct references to the Gessner surname. However, it does mention individuals with the occupation of "gardener" or "hortulanus," which could have been precursors to the surname in later centuries.
Other notable individuals with the Gessner surname include Johann Jakob Gessner (1707-1787), a Swiss painter and poet; Salomon Gessner (1730-1788), a Swiss idyllic poet and painter; and Johann Gessner (1826-1899), a German-American landscape painter and lithographer active in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gessner
Among Census respondents with the surname Gessner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gessner 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 Gessner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 2,420
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 81
- Two or more races2.9% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 25
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gessner
Gessner 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
#11,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,773
+38 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 660 places
2020
#11,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,619
-154 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Down 120 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,714 | 2,735 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,374 | 2,773 | 0.94 | +38 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 660 places |
| 2020 | #11,494 | 2,619 | 0.88 | -154 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 120 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 Gessner 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 | #11,374 | #11,494 | -1.1% |
| Count | 2,773 | 2,619 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.88 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gessner bearers went from 2,773 to 2,619 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 120 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,374 to #11,494.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gessner
FAQ
Gessner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gessner?
Name Census estimates that about 3,003 living Americans carry the surname Gessner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,137 residents.
How common is Gessner?
Gessner ranks #11,494 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,619 people with the surname Gessner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,003), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gessner.
Has Gessner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gessner went from 2,773 recorded bearers to 2,619. That is a decrease of 154 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,374 to #11,494.
What does the Census say about the background of Gessner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gessner, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Gessner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (2,420 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gessner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Gessner (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 Gessner mean?
Derived from the Middle High German word "gessenaere," referring to a craftsman who cast metal, such as brass or bronze. 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 Gessner (0.88 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 Gessner?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Gessner is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.