2000
#3,202
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,255
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.80
Uncommon Last name
Gaither
An English occupational surname for a goat herder, derived from the Old English term "gāt" meaning "goat."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,498 Americans carry the last name Gaither. That puts it at #3,470 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,810 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gaither 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
11K
1 in 29,810
Census rank
#3,470
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,027 bearers of the surname Gaither in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3470th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaither, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.9%. The next largest groups are Black (37.0%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gaither
The surname Gaither is believed to have originated in England, possibly in the county of Northamptonshire, during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English personal name "Gæðhere," which means "prosperous army."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gaither surname is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire, dated 1176. These rolls were records of financial transactions and taxes paid to the Crown. The name is spelled "Gaitheir" in this document.
In the 13th century, the Gaither surname is mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls, which were records of the royal court. A certain Robert Gaither is listed as a landowner in Northamptonshire during this time.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain the Gaither surname. However, it does include various place names that may be related to the name's origin, such as "Geddington" and "Geitinton" in Northamptonshire.
One of the earliest known individuals with the Gaither surname was John Gaither, who was born in Northamptonshire around 1480. He was a member of the local gentry and owned land in the village of Rothwell.
Another notable Gaither was William Gaither, born in Northamptonshire in 1540. He was a prominent merchant and served as a member of the local town council in Peterborough.
In the 17th century, the Gaither surname spread to other parts of England and eventually to the American colonies. One of the earliest Gaithers in America was John Gaither, who was born in Staffordshire, England, in 1630. He emigrated to Maryland in the 1660s and became a successful planter and landowner.
Another notable Gaither was Benjamin Gaither, born in Maryland in 1734. He served as a colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and played a significant role in several battles, including the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in 1781.
The Gaither surname also has connections to the state of Virginia. One of the most prominent Gaithers from this region was Edmonia Gaither, born in Virginia in 1855. She was an influential educator and civil rights activist who worked tirelessly to promote education and equality for African Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gaither
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaither, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.9%. The next largest groups are Black (37.0%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gaither 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 Gaither surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.9% · 5,300
- Black or African American37.0% · 3,705
- Two or more races5.9% · 596
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 304
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 59
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gaither
Gaither 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
#3,324
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,790
+535 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 3.66
Rank movement Down 122 places
2020
#3,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,027
-763 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 3.35
Rank movement Down 146 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,202 | 10,255 | 3.80 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,324 | 10,790 | 3.66 | +535 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 122 places |
| 2020 | #3,470 | 10,027 | 3.35 | -763 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 146 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 Gaither 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 | #3,324 | #3,470 | -4.4% |
| Count | 10,790 | 10,027 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.66 | 3.35 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gaither bearers went from 10,790 to 10,027 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 146 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,324 to #3,470.
FAQ
Gaither surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gaither?
Name Census estimates that about 11,498 living Americans carry the surname Gaither. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,810 residents.
How common is Gaither?
Gaither ranks #3,470 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,027 people with the surname Gaither. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,498), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Gaither.
Has Gaither become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gaither went from 10,790 recorded bearers to 10,027. That is a decrease of 763 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,324 to #3,470.
What does the Census say about the background of Gaither?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaither, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.9%. The next largest groups are Black (37.0%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Gaither in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.9% (5,300 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gaither appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.9%), Black (37.0%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Gaither (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 Gaither mean?
An English occupational surname for a goat herder, derived from the Old English term "gāt" meaning "goat." 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 Gaither (3.35 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 Americans have the surname Gaither?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.