2000
#7,436
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.53
Rare Last name
Hassler
A surname of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "haseler," meaning hazelnut tree or hazel grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,543 Americans carry the last name Hassler. That puts it at #8,022 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,447 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hassler 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
4.5K
1 in 75,447
Census rank
#8,022
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,962 bearers of the surname Hassler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8022nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hassler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hassler
The surname Hassler has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "hasel," which means hazelnut or hazel tree. This suggests that the name was initially associated with people who lived near hazel groves or worked with hazelnuts in some capacity.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Hassler can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a medieval cartulary from the Benedictine abbey of Corvey in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The document, dated around the 9th century, mentions a person named "Hasolarius" who owned land in the region.
In the 14th century, there are records of a prominent German family named Hassler who hailed from the town of Nürnberg (Nuremberg) in Bavaria. This family produced several notable figures, including Hans Leo Hassler (1564-1612), a renowned composer and organist of the Renaissance era, known for his sacred and secular works.
Another notable bearer of the Hassler name was Ferdinand Ritter von Hassler (1770-1843), an Austrian architect and urban planner. He was responsible for the design and construction of numerous buildings and urban developments in Vienna during the early 19th century.
In the realm of science, Johann Hassler (1567-1640) was a German astronomer and mathematician who contributed significantly to the development of logarithms and the calculation of the solar year. His work influenced the reform of the Gregorian calendar.
Moving to the United States, Johann Conrad Hassler (1809-1849) was a prominent surveyor and cartographer. He served as the first Superintendent of the United States Coast Survey (now known as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Coast Survey) and played a crucial role in establishing geodetic standards for mapping the country.
It's worth noting that variations in spelling, such as Hasler, Haessler, and Hessler, have also been documented throughout history, reflecting regional differences in pronunciation and orthography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hassler
Among Census respondents with the surname Hassler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Hassler 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 Hassler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 3,672
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 114
- Two or more races2.5% · 100
- Black or African American0.9% · 35
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hassler
Hassler 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
#7,397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,499
+371 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Up 39 places
2020
#8,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,962
-537 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 625 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,436 | 4,128 | 1.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,397 | 4,499 | 1.53 | +371 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 39 places |
| 2020 | #8,022 | 3,962 | 1.33 | -537 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 625 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 Hassler 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 | #7,397 | #8,022 | -8.4% |
| Count | 4,499 | 3,962 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.53 | 1.33 | -13.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hassler bearers went from 4,499 to 3,962 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 625 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,397 to #8,022.
FAQ
Hassler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hassler?
Name Census estimates that about 4,543 living Americans carry the surname Hassler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,447 residents.
How common is Hassler?
Hassler ranks #8,022 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.33 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 3,962 people with the surname Hassler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,543), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.33 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 Hassler.
Has Hassler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hassler went from 4,499 recorded bearers to 3,962. That is a decrease of 537 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,397 to #8,022.
What does the Census say about the background of Hassler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hassler, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Hassler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (3,672 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hassler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Hassler (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 Hassler mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "haseler," meaning hazelnut tree or hazel grove. 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 Hassler (1.33 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 Americans have the surname Hassler?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.