2000
#104,257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 159
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Gaerte
A Germanic surname referring to someone living in a small garden or pasture.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 252 Americans carry the last name Gaerte. That puts it at #90,184 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,360,136 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gaerte 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
252
1 in 1,360,136
Census rank
#90,184
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
220
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 220 bearers of the surname Gaerte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 90184th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaerte, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gaerte
The surname Gaerte is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period, around the 13th century. It is derived from the German word "Garten," which means "garden" or "orchard." The name was likely given to someone who lived near or tended to a garden or orchard.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, which mentions a "Johannes Gaerte" in the year 1307. This suggests that the name was already in use by the early 14th century.
In the 15th century, there are records of a "Heinrich Gaerte" who lived in the town of Nuremberg, which was a major center of trade and commerce during the Renaissance period. It is possible that this individual was involved in the cultivation or sale of fruits and vegetables from local gardens or orchards.
During the 16th century, the name Gaerte appears in various church records and tax rolls from different regions of Germany, indicating its spread across the country. One notable figure from this time was Hans Gaerte, a merchant from Hamburg who was born in 1518 and lived until 1592.
In the 17th century, the name can be found in the records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a "Georg Gaerte" is mentioned in a land deed from 1621. This suggests that the name was associated with landowners and farmers during this period.
Another noteworthy individual with the surname Gaerte was Johann Christoph Gaerte, a German composer and organist who lived from 1687 to 1737. He was known for his contributions to the development of the Baroque music style and served as the organist at the St. Thomas Church in Leipzig.
As the name spread throughout Germany and other parts of Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Gärte, Gärthe, and Gärtnert, which all derived from the same root word "Garten." These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and variations in pronunciation or record-keeping practices.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gaerte
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaerte, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gaerte 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 Gaerte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.1% · 218
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gaerte
Gaerte 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
#89,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 208
+49 bearers (+30.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Up 15,188 places
2020
#90,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 220
+12 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 1,115 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #104,257 | 159 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #89,069 | 208 | 0.07 | +49 bearers (+30.8%) | Up 15,188 places |
| 2020 | #90,184 | 220 | 0.07 | +12 bearers (+5.8%) | Down 1,115 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 Gaerte 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 | #89,069 | #90,184 | -1.3% |
| Count | 208 | 220 | 5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gaerte bearers went from 208 to 220 (+5.8% change). The surname moved down 1,115 positions in the national ranking, going from #89,069 to #90,184.
FAQ
Gaerte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gaerte?
Name Census estimates that about 252 living Americans carry the surname Gaerte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,360,136 residents.
How common is Gaerte?
Gaerte ranks #90,184 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 220 people with the surname Gaerte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (252), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Gaerte.
Has Gaerte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gaerte went from 208 recorded bearers to 220. That is an increase of 12 (+5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #89,069 to #90,184.
What does the Census say about the background of Gaerte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaerte, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Gaerte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.1% (218 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gaerte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.1%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Gaerte (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 Gaerte mean?
A Germanic surname referring to someone living in a small garden or pasture. 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 Gaerte (0.07 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 share the surname Gaerte?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.