Find out how popular the last name Gaber is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gaber.

Gaber, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gaber surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gaber in America

Gaber is the 24012th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gaber surname appeared 1,050 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gaber.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gaber to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gaber

The surname Gaber has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the late 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Middle High German word "gabren," which means "to ferment" or "to brew." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a brewer or distiller.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony. In a charter dated 1198, a certain "Henricus Gaber" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.

By the 13th century, the name had spread to other parts of Germany, as evidenced by various records and manuscripts from that time. For example, a "Johannes Gaber" is listed as a citizen of the town of Lübeck in a document from 1271.

In the 14th century, the name appears to have taken on a more widespread geographical distribution. A "Konrad Gaber" is recorded as living in the city of Augsburg in 1342, while a "Hans Gaber" is mentioned in a register from the town of Erfurt, dated 1378.

One of the earliest notable figures to bear the name was Johann Gaber, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1486 to 1552. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and a close associate of Martin Luther.

Another notable Gaber was Johann Philipp Gaber (1585-1653), a German jurist and legal scholar who served as a professor of law at the University of Heidelberg. His works on Roman law were highly influential in their time.

In the 17th century, the name can be found in various records from the German states, such as the Duchy of Saxony and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. One example is Johann Andreas Gaber (1637-1704), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels.

As the centuries progressed, the name continued to spread throughout German-speaking regions of Europe. Notable bearers of the name in more recent times include the German theologian and philosopher Johann Ernst Gaber (1773-1835) and the Austrian botanist Anton Gaber (1835-1908).

Throughout its history, the surname Gaber has undergone various spellings and variations, such as Gaebner, Gäbner, and Gäber, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic variations within the German-speaking world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gaber

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gaber.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gaber was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gaber has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gaber was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gaber, please contact us.

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