2000
#117,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Galbrecht
A surname derived from Middle German terms meaning "yellow" and "bright", potentially describing someone with a yellowish complexion or hair color.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 143 Americans carry the last name Galbrecht. That puts it at #138,300 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,396,883 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Galbrecht 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
143
1 in 2,396,883
Census rank
#138,300
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
125
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 125 bearers of the surname Galbrecht in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 138300th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Galbrecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Galbrecht
The surname Galbrecht originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Germanic elements "gal," meaning "to sing or call," and "brecht," meaning "bright or shining." The name likely referred to a town crier or someone with a loud, clear voice.
In the 13th century, the name was recorded as Galbrecht in various regions of present-day Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony. Similar spellings included Gailbrecht and Galbraith, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and scribal practices.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Galbrecht appears in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of medieval documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg, dating back to the 14th century. This document mentions a landowner named Heinrich Galbrecht who lived in the village of Schönefeld near Berlin.
In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the name Galbrecht was Johannes Galbrecht, a German scholar and humanist born in Nuremberg in 1445. He studied at the University of Erfurt and later became a professor of rhetoric and poetry at the University of Ingolstadt.
During the 16th century, the Galbrecht family was prominent in the city of Augsburg, where they were involved in the textile trade. One of their members, Hans Galbrecht (1518-1589), was a successful merchant and served as a city councilor.
In the 17th century, a Lutheran pastor named Johann Galbrecht (1589-1668) held a prominent position in the city of Wittenberg, where he served as the rector of the Stadtschule (city school) and was involved in the publication of theological works.
Another noteworthy individual with the surname Galbrecht was Friedrich Galbrecht (1771-1845), a German painter and engraver who lived during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was known for his landscapes and portraits and worked in various cities, including Dresden and Leipzig.
The name Galbrecht has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Galbrechtshafen, a district in the city of Hannover, and Galbrecht, a village in the municipality of Mühlhausen in Thuringia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Galbrecht
Among Census respondents with the surname Galbrecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Galbrecht 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 Galbrecht surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.2% · 124
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Galbrecht
Galbrecht 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
#126,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
-1 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 8,480 places
2020
#138,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-11 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,282 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #117,538 | 137 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,018 | 136 | 0.05 | -1 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 8,480 places |
| 2020 | #138,300 | 125 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 12,282 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 Galbrecht 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 | #126,018 | #138,300 | -9.7% |
| Count | 136 | 125 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Galbrecht bearers went from 136 to 125 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 12,282 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,018 to #138,300.
FAQ
Galbrecht surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Galbrecht?
Name Census estimates that about 143 living Americans carry the surname Galbrecht. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,396,883 residents.
How common is Galbrecht?
Galbrecht ranks #138,300 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 125 people with the surname Galbrecht. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (143), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Galbrecht.
Has Galbrecht become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Galbrecht went from 136 recorded bearers to 125. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,018 to #138,300.
What does the Census say about the background of Galbrecht?
Among Census respondents with the surname Galbrecht, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Galbrecht in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.2% (124 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Galbrecht appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.2%), Hispanic (0.8%). 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 Galbrecht (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 Galbrecht mean?
A surname derived from Middle German terms meaning "yellow" and "bright", potentially describing someone with a yellowish complexion or hair color. 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 Galbrecht (0.04 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 have the surname Galbrecht?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.