2000
#6,505
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,812
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.78
Rare Last name
Visser
An occupational surname referring to a fisherman, from the Dutch word for fisherman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,060 Americans carry the last name Visser. That puts it at #6,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,560 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Visser 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Visser with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.1K
1 in 56,560
Census rank
#6,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,285 bearers of the surname Visser in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Visser, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Visser
The surname Visser is of Dutch origin, derived from the Dutch word "visser," meaning "fisherman." It dates back to the Middle Ages in the Netherlands, particularly in coastal regions where fishing was a major industry and way of life.
The earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in Dutch municipal records from the 14th century, such as the Utrecht archdiocese records and the Leiden municipal archives. These early records often spelled the name as "Vischer" or "Visscher," reflecting the Dutch spelling at the time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname was Jan Vischer, a renowned Dutch painter and engraver born in 1585 in Amsterdam. His works, including etchings and engravings, are highly regarded in the art world and can be found in various museums and collections.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Visser surname was particularly prevalent in the coastal towns of Holland, such as Scheveningen and Katwijk aan Zee. These fishing communities likely gave rise to many families adopting the occupational surname.
Another notable individual with the surname was Nicolaes Visscher, a Dutch cartographer and engraver born in 1618 in Amsterdam. He produced numerous maps and atlases, including his famous "Visscher's Atlas," which was highly influential in its time.
During the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century, the Visser surname gained prominence in the Dutch Republic. One example is Cornelis de Visscher, a renowned Dutch Golden Age painter born in 1629 in Haarlem, known for his genre scenes and portraits.
In the literary world, the Dutch poet and playwright Cornelis Visscher, born in 1628 in Amsterdam, was a prominent figure in the 17th century, known for his satirical works and contributions to Dutch literature.
As the Dutch expanded their maritime and colonial pursuits, the Visser surname spread to other parts of the world, including South Africa, Indonesia, and the Caribbean islands, where Dutch settlers established communities.
Overall, the surname Visser has a rich history rooted in the Netherlands, particularly in coastal regions where fishing was a way of life. It has been carried by notable individuals in various fields, from art and cartography to literature and exploration, reflecting the diverse contributions of those bearing this surname throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Visser
Among Census respondents with the surname Visser, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Visser 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 Visser surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 4,766
- Two or more races4.5% · 237
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 173
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 57
- Black or African American0.7% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Visser
Visser 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
#6,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,231
+419 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 1.77
Rank movement Up 15 places
2020
#6,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,285
+54 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.77
Rank movement Up 285 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,505 | 4,812 | 1.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,490 | 5,231 | 1.77 | +419 bearers (+8.7%) | Up 15 places |
| 2020 | #6,205 | 5,285 | 1.77 | +54 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 285 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 Visser 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 | #6,490 | #6,205 | 4.4% |
| Count | 5,231 | 5,285 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.77 | 1.77 | -0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Visser bearers went from 5,231 to 5,285 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 285 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,490 to #6,205.
FAQ
Visser surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Visser?
Name Census estimates that about 6,060 living Americans carry the surname Visser. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,560 residents.
How common is Visser?
Visser ranks #6,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.77 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 5,285 people with the surname Visser. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,060), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.77 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 Visser.
Has Visser become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Visser went from 5,231 recorded bearers to 5,285. That is an increase of 54 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,490 to #6,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Visser?
Among Census respondents with the surname Visser, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Visser in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (4,766 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Visser appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Visser (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 Visser mean?
An occupational surname referring to a fisherman, from the Dutch word for fisherman. 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 Visser (1.77 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 Visser?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.