2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sensmeier
A German surname derived from the word "Senn" meaning herdsman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Sensmeier. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sensmeier 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Sensmeier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sensmeier, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sensmeier
The surname SENSMEIER originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 15th century. The name is derived from the Middle High German words "senne" meaning a large pasture or meadow, and "meier" referring to a steward or overseer. Thus, the name likely referred to someone responsible for managing a communal grazing area.
The name was initially concentrated in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, where it appeared in various spellings such as Sensmeyer, Sennsmair, and Sensmair. One of the earliest known records of the name is found in a land deed from the town of Nuremberg in 1472, which mentions a certain Hans Sensmeier.
In the 16th century, the SENSMEIER name began to appear in church records and municipal documents across southern Germany. Notable individuals from this period include Martin Sensmeier (1518-1592), a Lutheran pastor from Augsburg, and Anna Sensmeier (1542-1612), who was tried for witchcraft during the infamous Trier Witch Trials.
As the name spread, it also found its way into the annals of European nobility. In the 17th century, a branch of the Sensmeier family was granted noble status in the Holy Roman Empire, with the title of "Freiherr von Sensmeier." One prominent member of this line was Johann Sensmeier (1628-1701), a military commander who fought in the Thirty Years' War.
The 18th century saw the SENSMEIER name travel beyond German borders. Among the notable figures from this era was Johann Gottlieb Sensmeier (1746-1812), a Prussian-born artist who spent much of his career in Vienna, Austria. Another was Christoph Sensmeier (1772-1849), a German immigrant to America who settled in Pennsylvania and fought in the War of 1812.
By the 19th century, the SENSMEIER surname had spread across Europe and beyond. One notable bearer was Hugo Sensmeier (1839-1903), a German-born entrepreneur who founded a successful brewing company in San Francisco, California. Another was Ida Sensmeier (1858-1932), a celebrated German opera singer who performed throughout Europe and Russia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sensmeier
Among Census respondents with the surname Sensmeier, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sensmeier 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 Sensmeier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 5
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sensmeier
Sensmeier 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+5 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,190 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-16 bearers (-13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,190 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 4,190 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-13.0%) | Down 15,190 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 Sensmeier 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 | #136,449 | #151,639 | -11.1% |
| Count | 123 | 107 | -13.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sensmeier bearers went from 123 to 107 (-13.0% change). The surname moved down 15,190 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #151,639.
FAQ
Sensmeier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sensmeier?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Sensmeier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Sensmeier?
Sensmeier ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Sensmeier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Sensmeier.
Has Sensmeier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sensmeier went from 123 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 16 (-13.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Sensmeier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sensmeier, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Sensmeier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (96 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sensmeier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Sensmeier (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 Sensmeier mean?
A German surname derived from the word "Senn" meaning herdsman. 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 Sensmeier (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 last name Sensmeier?
You can see how many people have the last name Sensmeier on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.