Gottlob
A masculine German name meaning "Praise God."
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Gottlob. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Gottlob today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Gottlob births was 1954 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Gottlob. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Gottlob is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Gottlobs were born before 1970.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Gottlob. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1954
5 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
1954 SSA rank
#4,036
Tracked since 1954
Popularity
Gottlob: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Gottlob by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Gottlob during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Geography
Where Gottlobs live
Origin
Meaning and history of Gottlob
The name Gottlob is a German given name that has its origins in the Middle High German language. It is a compound name derived from the words "Gott," meaning "God," and "lob," meaning "praise" or "glory." The name can be translated as "Praise God" or "Glory to God."
The earliest recorded use of the name Gottlob dates back to the 16th century, during the Protestant Reformation in Germany. It was a popular name among Lutherans and other Protestant Christians who embraced the teachings of the Reformation and sought to express their devotion to God through their children's names.
One of the earliest and most notable individuals to bear the name Gottlob was Gottlob Frege, a German philosopher, logician, and mathematician who lived from 1848 to 1925. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern logic and is best known for his work on the foundations of arithmetic and the development of predicate logic.
Another significant figure with the name Gottlob was Gottlob Bauernfeind, a German theologian and reformer who lived from 1815 to 1900. He played a prominent role in the Lutheran Church and was instrumental in establishing a new church order in the Kingdom of Württemberg.
In the field of music, Gottlob Harrer, a German composer and organist who lived from 1703 to 1755, made significant contributions to the development of Lutheran church music during the Baroque period.
Gottlob Nathanael Fischer, a German-Danish botanist who lived from 1748 to 1788, is also noteworthy for his work in plant taxonomy and his contributions to the study of flora in various regions of the world.
Finally, Gottlob Christian Storr, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1749 to 1805, is remembered for his influential writings on Christian ethics and his role in shaping the theological landscape of his time.
While the name Gottlob was most prevalent in Germany and among German-speaking populations, its use has been documented in other regions as well, reflecting the spread of Lutheran and Protestant influences across Europe and beyond.
People
Gottlob + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Gottlob as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with G
Other first names starting with G with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Gottlob: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Gottlob?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Gottlob going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Gottlob a common name?
We classify Gottlob as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Gottlob most popular?
The single biggest year for Gottlob was 1954, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Gottlob is about 66 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Gottlob in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Gottlob a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Gottlob in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Gottlob still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Gottlob in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Gottlob can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Gottlob?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Gottlob on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.