2000
#29,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 751
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.28
Very Rare Last name
Garbett
A locational surname derived from a place named Garbett or Garbutt, of uncertain origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 944 Americans carry the last name Garbett. That puts it at #30,403 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 363,087 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garbett 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Garbett with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
944
1 in 363,087
Census rank
#30,403
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
823
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 823 bearers of the surname Garbett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 30403rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garbett, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garbett
The surname Garbett is of English origin and dates back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "gara" meaning a triangular piece of land and "byht" meaning a bend or curve, possibly referring to someone who lived on a triangular piece of land near a river bend or curve.
The earliest known record of the name appears in the Parish Registers of Westbury, Wiltshire, in 1597, where a William Garbett was mentioned. In the Hearth Tax Rolls of Wiltshire in 1672, the name was spelled as "Garbitt." This variation in spelling was common during that time.
One of the earliest notable people with this surname was Thomas Garbett (1590-1654), an English clergyman who served as the Bishop of Norwich from 1635 to 1645. He was a staunch supporter of King Charles I during the English Civil War.
Another prominent figure was Samuel Garbett (1717-1803), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Bishop of Worcester from 1787 until his death. He was known for his scholarly works on theology and church history.
In the 19th century, Sir Thomas Garbett (1809-1886) was a British judge and politician who served as the Attorney General for England and Wales from 1867 to 1868. He was also a member of Parliament for several constituencies.
The surname Garbett also has links to place names in England, such as Garbett's Farm in Berkshire and Garbett's Hill in Shropshire, both of which were likely named after individuals bearing this surname who lived or owned land in those areas.
Another notable individual with this surname was John Garbett (1874-1949), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While the surname Garbett is not among the most common in England, it has a long and rich history, with several individuals of note bearing this name throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garbett
Among Census respondents with the surname Garbett, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Garbett 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 Garbett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.1% · 692
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 46
- Two or more races5.1% · 42
- Black or African American3.5% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garbett
Garbett 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
#32,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 715
-36 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 2,638 places
2020
#30,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 823
+108 bearers (+15.1%)
Per 100,000 0.28
Rank movement Up 1,833 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #29,598 | 751 | 0.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,236 | 715 | 0.24 | -36 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 2,638 places |
| 2020 | #30,403 | 823 | 0.28 | +108 bearers (+15.1%) | Up 1,833 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 Garbett 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 | #32,236 | #30,403 | 5.7% |
| Count | 715 | 823 | 15.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.28 | 14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garbett bearers went from 715 to 823 (+15.1% change). The surname moved up 1,833 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,236 to #30,403.
FAQ
Garbett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garbett?
Name Census estimates that about 944 living Americans carry the surname Garbett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 363,087 residents.
How common is Garbett?
Garbett ranks #30,403 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.28 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 823 people with the surname Garbett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (944), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.28 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 Garbett.
Has Garbett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garbett went from 715 recorded bearers to 823. That is an increase of 108 (+15.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #32,236 to #30,403.
What does the Census say about the background of Garbett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garbett, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.6%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Garbett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.1% (692 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garbett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.1%), Hispanic (5.6%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Garbett (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 Garbett mean?
A locational surname derived from a place named Garbett or Garbutt, of uncertain origin. 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 Garbett (0.28 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 are called Garbett?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Garbett at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.