2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Garberson
Occupational surname derived from "garber", referring to a leather worker or tanner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Garberson. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garberson 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Garberson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garberson, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garberson
The surname GARBERSON is of English origin, with roots tracing back to the late 13th century in the county of Yorkshire. It is derived from the Old English words "gaer" meaning "triangular piece of land" and "beorn" meaning "warrior" or "man". This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a landowner or someone who occupied a particular triangular plot of land.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GARBERSON can be found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax returns of 1379, where a Robert Garberson was listed as a resident of the village of Kildwick. The name also appears in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1423, which mentions a John Garberson in connection with a land transaction.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name GARBERSON was primarily concentrated in the Yorkshire Dales area, particularly around the towns of Settle and Skipton. It is likely that some of the earliest bearers of the name were involved in agriculture or had ties to the local wool trade, which was a major industry in the region at the time.
Notable individuals with the surname GARBERSON include:
1. William GARBERSON (c. 1590-1662), a yeoman farmer from Airton, Yorkshire, who left a detailed will and inventory of his possessions, providing valuable insight into the lives of rural families in the 17th century.
2. John GARBERSON (1712-1784), a prominent landowner and wool merchant from Grassington, Yorkshire, who served as a local magistrate and was known for his philanthropic efforts in the community.
3. Elizabeth GARBERSON (1765-1842), a renowned herbalist and healer from Malham, Yorkshire, who was widely sought after for her knowledge of traditional remedies and treatments.
4. Thomas GARBERSON (1820-1898), a skilled stonemason from Settle, Yorkshire, whose work can be seen in several historic buildings and churches in the region.
5. Mary GARBERSON (1842-1922), a pioneering educator and headmistress of the Settle Girls' School, who played a significant role in promoting education for women in the Yorkshire Dales during the late 19th century.
While the GARBERSON name has spread to other parts of England and beyond over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the rugged landscapes and rich agricultural heritage of Yorkshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garberson
Among Census respondents with the surname Garberson, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Garberson 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 Garberson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 97
- Black or African American5.4% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino5.4% · 6
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garberson
Garberson 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-3 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,119 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+7 bearers (+6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,953 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 13,119 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.7%) | Up 6,953 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 Garberson 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 | #154,907 | #147,954 | 4.5% |
| Count | 105 | 112 | 6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garberson bearers went from 105 to 112 (+6.7% change). The surname moved up 6,953 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #147,954.
FAQ
Garberson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garberson?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Garberson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Garberson?
Garberson ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Garberson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Garberson.
Has Garberson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garberson went from 105 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 7 (+6.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Garberson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garberson, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Black (5.4%) and Hispanic (5.4%). 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 Garberson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garberson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Black (5.4%), Hispanic (5.4%). 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 Garberson (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 Garberson mean?
Occupational surname derived from "garber", referring to a leather worker or tanner. 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 Garberson (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 common is the surname Garberson?
See how many Americans have the surname Garberson on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.