2000
#14,764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,845
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Garabedian
An Armenian surname most likely derived from the Turkish word "karabadem," meaning blackthorn, a small tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,060 Americans carry the last name Garabedian. That puts it at #15,658 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,386 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garabedian 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
2.1K
1 in 166,386
Census rank
#15,658
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,796 bearers of the surname Garabedian in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15658th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garabedian, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garabedian
The surname Garabedian has its origins in Armenia, a nation with a rich cultural heritage dating back thousands of years. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 10th century AD.
One theory suggests that the name Garabedian is derived from the Armenian word "garagun," which means "black" or "dark." This could indicate that the name was initially given to individuals with dark complexions or hair. Another possibility is that the name originated from a specific geographic location, such as a village or town in Armenia.
While there are no definitive historical records mentioning the earliest use of the surname Garabedian, some scholars have noted its appearance in ancient Armenian manuscripts and chronicles from the Middle Ages. However, these references are scarce and often lack specific details.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Garabedian name can be traced back to the late 15th century, when a certain Hovhannes Garabedian is mentioned in a document from the Vayots Dzor region of Armenia. This individual's exact role or occupation is not specified, but his name serves as evidence of the surname's existence during that time period.
Over the centuries, the Garabedian surname has been associated with several notable individuals, including:
1. Harutyun Garabedian (1838-1912), an Armenian writer, poet, and educator who played a significant role in the development of modern Armenian literature.
2. Bedros Garabedian (1859-1922), an Armenian Catholic priest and scholar who made important contributions to the study of Armenian history and culture.
3. Hrant Garabedian (1910-1983), an Armenian-American artist and sculptor known for his abstract and modern art pieces.
4. Varazdat Garabedian (1920-2009), an Armenian-American mathematician and professor who made significant contributions to the field of partial differential equations.
5. Armen Garabedian (born 1958), an Armenian-American lawyer and author who has written extensively on legal and political topics related to Armenia and the Armenian diaspora.
It's worth noting that the Garabedian surname has undergone various spelling variations over time, including Garabedyan, Karabedian, and Karapetian, among others. These variations often reflect regional dialects or transliteration differences from the Armenian language to other scripts and alphabets.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garabedian
Among Census respondents with the surname Garabedian, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Garabedian 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 Garabedian surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 1,666
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 70
- Two or more races2.6% · 47
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garabedian
Garabedian 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
#15,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,879
+34 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 800 places
2020
#15,658
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,796
-83 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 94 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,764 | 1,845 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,564 | 1,879 | 0.64 | +34 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 800 places |
| 2020 | #15,658 | 1,796 | 0.60 | -83 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 94 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 Garabedian 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 | #15,564 | #15,658 | -0.6% |
| Count | 1,879 | 1,796 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.60 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garabedian bearers went from 1,879 to 1,796 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 94 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,564 to #15,658.
FAQ
Garabedian surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garabedian?
Name Census estimates that about 2,060 living Americans carry the surname Garabedian. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,386 residents.
How common is Garabedian?
Garabedian ranks #15,658 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,796 people with the surname Garabedian. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,060), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Garabedian.
Has Garabedian become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garabedian went from 1,879 recorded bearers to 1,796. That is a decrease of 83 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,564 to #15,658.
What does the Census say about the background of Garabedian?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garabedian, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Garabedian in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (1,666 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garabedian appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Garabedian (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 Garabedian mean?
An Armenian surname most likely derived from the Turkish word "karabadem," meaning blackthorn, a small tree. 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 Garabedian (0.60 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 Garabedian?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.