2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Garabet
An Armenian surname derived from a language variation meaning "messenger".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Garabet. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garabet 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Garabet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garabet, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garabet
The surname GARABET is of Armenian origin, dating back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Armenian given name "Karapet," which means "forerunner" or "precursor." This name is a combination of the Armenian words "kar" (stone) and "apet" (forerunner), suggesting a connection to religious or biblical figures associated with stones, such as St. John the Baptist or St. Peter.
The earliest known records of the GARABET surname can be found in Armenian manuscripts and documents from the 9th to 12th centuries. During this period, Armenia was a prominent center of culture and learning, and many scribes, scholars, and clergy bore this surname. One notable example is Vardan GARABET, a 10th-century Armenian historian and author of the "Universal History."
As the Armenian diaspora spread across the Middle East, Europe, and beyond, the GARABET surname traveled with them. It can be found in various historical records and documents from regions with significant Armenian populations, such as the Ottoman Empire, Persia, and parts of Eastern Europe.
One of the earliest known bearers of the GARABET surname outside of Armenia was Khachatur GARABET, a 13th-century Armenian merchant and traveler who lived in the city of Ani (present-day Turkey). His travelogues provide valuable insights into the trade routes and cultural exchanges of the time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, several members of the GARABET family were prominent figures in the Armenian Apostolic Church. Grigor GARABET (1550-1623) was a renowned theologian and author, while Hovhannes GARABET (1602-1673) served as the Catholicos (head) of the Armenian Apostolic Church from 1655 to 1673.
In the 19th century, Mkrtich GARABET (1818-1892) was a prominent Armenian writer, educator, and activist who played a significant role in the Armenian national awakening. He founded several schools and literary societies, promoting Armenian language and culture.
Other notable individuals with the GARABET surname include Avedis GARABET (1870-1946), an Armenian-American painter and illustrator known for his depictions of Armenian life and landscapes, and Armen GARABET (1900-1980), a renowned Armenian composer and conductor who made significant contributions to the development of Armenian classical music.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garabet
Among Census respondents with the surname Garabet, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Garabet 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 Garabet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garabet
Garabet appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-8 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,786 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 7,786 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 Garabet 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 | #143,149 | #150,935 | -5.4% |
| Count | 116 | 108 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garabet bearers went from 116 to 108 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 7,786 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #150,935.
FAQ
Garabet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garabet?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Garabet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Garabet?
Garabet ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Garabet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Garabet.
Has Garabet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garabet went from 116 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Garabet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garabet, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%). 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 Garabet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garabet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Hispanic (6.5%). 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 Garabet (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 Garabet mean?
An Armenian surname derived from a language variation meaning "messenger". 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 Garabet (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 share the surname Garabet?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.