2000
#10,979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,659
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Gabbert
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of forks or pitchforks.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,784 Americans carry the last name Gabbert. That puts it at #12,232 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,116 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gabbert 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
2.8K
1 in 123,116
Census rank
#12,232
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,428 bearers of the surname Gabbert in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12232nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gabbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gabbert
The surname GABBERT has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the Middle Ages around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "gabbard," which referred to a type of spear or javelin. This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with someone who crafted or wielded such weapons.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GABBERT name can be found in the Medieval German records of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain "Johannes Gabbard" is mentioned as a resident in the year 1347. The name also appears in various other historical documents from the region, such as tax rolls, property deeds, and municipal records.
In the 16th century, the GABBERT surname can be traced to the town of Grünberg in the German state of Hesse. Here, a family bearing the name is documented as landowners and respected members of the local community. Notably, a certain Heinrich GABBERT (1522-1589) is recorded as a prominent farmer and landowner in the area.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, it underwent various spelling variations, including Gabert, Gabbert, and Gabbart. One notable figure from this era was the artist and engraver Johannes GABBERT (1570-1631), who hailed from the city of Augsburg and is renowned for his intricate engravings and woodcuts.
In the 18th century, the GABBERT name gained further prominence with the birth of Johann Georg GABBERT (1717-1788), a renowned German composer and organist. He served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the court of the Princes of Saxe-Gotha and is credited with composing numerous religious works and instrumental pieces.
Another notable individual bearing the GABBERT surname was Karl Friedrich GABBERT (1825-1891), a German architect and urban planner who made significant contributions to the design and development of several cities in the region, including Karlsruhe and Mannheim.
While the GABBERT name has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and immigration, its roots can be firmly traced back to its German origins and the rich historical tapestry of the regions it once called home.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gabbert
Among Census respondents with the surname Gabbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gabbert 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 Gabbert surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 2,190
- Two or more races3.9% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 23
- Black or African American0.7% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gabbert
Gabbert 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
#11,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,813
+154 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 257 places
2020
#12,232
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,428
-385 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 996 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,979 | 2,659 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,236 | 2,813 | 0.95 | +154 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 257 places |
| 2020 | #12,232 | 2,428 | 0.81 | -385 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 996 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 Gabbert 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 | #11,236 | #12,232 | -8.9% |
| Count | 2,813 | 2,428 | -13.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.81 | -14.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gabbert bearers went from 2,813 to 2,428 (-13.7% change). The surname moved down 996 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,236 to #12,232.
FAQ
Gabbert surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gabbert?
Name Census estimates that about 2,784 living Americans carry the surname Gabbert. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,116 residents.
How common is Gabbert?
Gabbert ranks #12,232 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,428 people with the surname Gabbert. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,784), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Gabbert.
Has Gabbert become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gabbert went from 2,813 recorded bearers to 2,428. That is a decrease of 385 (-13.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,236 to #12,232.
What does the Census say about the background of Gabbert?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gabbert, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Gabbert in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (2,190 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gabbert 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 (3.9%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Gabbert (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 Gabbert mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of forks or pitchforks. 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 Gabbert (0.81 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 are called Gabbert?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Gabbert at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.