Find out how popular the last name Garber is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Garber.

Garber, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Garber surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Garber in America

Garber is the 2850th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Garber surname appeared 12,640 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Garber.

We can also compare 2010 data for Garber to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Garber

The surname Garber is of German and Ashkenazi Jewish origin, and it is believed to have originated as an occupational name for someone who worked as a tanner or currier, derived from the Middle High German word "garber," meaning "tanner."

The name can be traced back to the 13th century, with records showing individuals with the name Garber living in various regions of Germany. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the town of Kriens, near Lucerne in Switzerland, where a Johannes Garber is mentioned in a document dated 1295.

In the 14th century, the name appears in several German towns and cities, including Nuremberg and Cologne. Cologne, in particular, had a thriving tanning industry during this period, which may explain the presence of the Garber surname in the area.

The name is also found in various medieval records, such as tax rolls and guild registers. In 1437, a Hans Garber is mentioned in the records of the tanners' guild in Nuremberg, indicating the occupational origin of the surname.

As the surname spread across Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, including Garber, Gerber, and Gärber. One of the earliest recorded instances of the Garber spelling can be found in the "Deeds of the Bishops of Hildesheim," a chronicle written in the 14th century, where a certain Bertoldus Garber is mentioned.

Notable individuals with the surname Garber throughout history include Johannes Garber (c. 1500-1572), a German Protestant theologian and reformer; Johann Garber (1590-1655), a German composer and organist; and Frederica Garber (1832-1912), an American educator and leader in the women's suffrage movement.

Other significant figures with the Garber surname include Dr. Morris B. Garber (1856-1941), an American physician and co-founder of the American Zionist Movement; and John Garber (1858-1946), an American businessman and co-founder of the Garber Motor Truck Corporation.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Garber

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Garber.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Garber was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Garber has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Garber was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Garber, please contact us.

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