2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Garbade
A surname derived from the German word "Garbade," meaning a person who worked in a bathhouse or spa.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 156 Americans carry the last name Garbade. That puts it at #130,360 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,197,143 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garbade 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
156
1 in 2,197,143
Census rank
#130,360
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
136
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 136 bearers of the surname Garbade in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 130360th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garbade, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garbade
The surname Garbade originated in Germany, likely emerging in the late medieval period around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have derived from an occupational name describing someone who worked as a harvester or reaper, potentially stemming from the old German words "garwe" or "garb," both related to the concept of harvesting crops.
One of the earliest known references to the name Garbade can be found in historical records from the city of Hamburg, Germany, dating back to the 16th century. The name was also present in various other regions of northern Germany during this time, including the areas around Bremen and Lower Saxony.
While the name does not appear to have been included in notable historical documents like the Domesday Book, there are records of individuals bearing the Garbade surname in various genealogical databases and local archives from across northern Germany.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Garbade was Hans Garbade, a merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Bremen in the late 15th century, born around 1470. Another notable figure was Johann Garbade, a Lutheran pastor and theologian from Hamburg who lived from 1589 to 1654.
In the 17th century, a family by the name of Garbade settled in the town of Stade, near Hamburg, where they became influential landowners and merchants. One member of this family, Heinrich Garbade (1620-1692), served as a prominent local magistrate and was involved in various civic affairs.
During the 18th century, the Garbade surname spread further throughout northern Germany, with several individuals bearing the name becoming involved in various professions, including academia, law, and the clergy. One such individual was Christian Friedrich Garbade (1735-1808), a respected jurist and legal scholar from the city of Lüneburg.
As the centuries progressed, the Garbade name continued to be present in various regions of northern Germany, with some families also migrating to other parts of Europe and eventually to North America and other parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garbade
Among Census respondents with the surname Garbade, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Garbade 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 Garbade surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 123
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 6
- Two or more races2.9% · 4
- Black or African American1.5% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garbade
Garbade 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
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-25 bearers (-18.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 30,111 places
2020
#130,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
+25 bearers (+22.5%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 17,987 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | -25 bearers (-18.4%) | Down 30,111 places |
| 2020 | #130,360 | 136 | 0.05 | +25 bearers (+22.5%) | Up 17,987 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 Garbade 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 | #148,347 | #130,360 | 12.1% |
| Count | 111 | 136 | 22.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garbade bearers went from 111 to 136 (+22.5% change). The surname moved up 17,987 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #130,360.
FAQ
Garbade surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garbade?
Name Census estimates that about 156 living Americans carry the surname Garbade. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,197,143 residents.
How common is Garbade?
Garbade ranks #130,360 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 136 people with the surname Garbade. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (156), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Garbade.
Has Garbade become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garbade went from 111 recorded bearers to 136. That is an increase of 25 (+22.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #130,360.
What does the Census say about the background of Garbade?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garbade, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Garbade in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (123 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garbade appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (4.4%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Garbade (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 Garbade mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Garbade," meaning a person who worked in a bathhouse or spa. 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 Garbade (0.05 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 Garbade?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.