2000
#58,397
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 325
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Gareis
A topographic surname derived from a Germanic word meaning "grassy meadow".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 412 Americans carry the last name Gareis. That puts it at #60,581 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 831,928 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gareis 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
412
1 in 831,928
Census rank
#60,581
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
359
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 359 bearers of the surname Gareis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 60581st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gareis, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gareis
The surname GAREIS is of German origin, with its roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the German word "gar," which means "ready" or "prepared," and "eis," which means "iron." The name might have been given to someone who worked as a blacksmith or an ironworker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GAREIS can be found in the Bavarian town of Miesbach, where a certain Johann Gareis was mentioned in local records from the late 15th century. This suggests that the name was relatively widespread in the southern regions of Germany during that time period.
In the 17th century, a man named Georg Gareis (1630-1698) gained recognition as a prominent German jurist and legal scholar. He served as a professor of law at the University of Tübingen and published several influential works on German legal theory.
Another notable figure with the surname GAREIS was Johann Baptist Gareis (1793-1864), a German Catholic priest and theologian. He was born in Altötting, Bavaria, and spent much of his career teaching at the University of Munich.
Moving into the 19th century, we find Friedrich Gareis (1823-1899), a German physicist and mathematician. He made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics and worked as a professor at the University of Berlin.
In the early 20th century, a man named Karl Gareis (1866-1935) gained recognition as a German architect and urban planner. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Munich, including the Prinzregententheater and the Münchner Künstlerhaus.
While the surname GAREIS is not as common as some other German names, it has a rich history and has been associated with various professions and fields of study over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gareis
Among Census respondents with the surname Gareis, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gareis 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 Gareis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 323
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 24
- Two or more races2.2% · 8
- Black or African American0.6% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gareis
Gareis 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
#63,873
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 312
-13 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Down 5,476 places
2020
#60,581
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 359
+47 bearers (+15.1%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 3,292 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #58,397 | 325 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #63,873 | 312 | 0.11 | -13 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 5,476 places |
| 2020 | #60,581 | 359 | 0.12 | +47 bearers (+15.1%) | Up 3,292 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 Gareis 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 | #63,873 | #60,581 | 5.2% |
| Count | 312 | 359 | 15.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.12 | 9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gareis bearers went from 312 to 359 (+15.1% change). The surname moved up 3,292 positions in the national ranking, going from #63,873 to #60,581.
FAQ
Gareis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gareis?
Name Census estimates that about 412 living Americans carry the surname Gareis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 831,928 residents.
How common is Gareis?
Gareis ranks #60,581 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 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 359 people with the surname Gareis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (412), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 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 Gareis.
Has Gareis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gareis went from 312 recorded bearers to 359. That is an increase of 47 (+15.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #63,873 to #60,581.
What does the Census say about the background of Gareis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gareis, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Gareis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (323 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gareis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (6.7%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Gareis (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 Gareis mean?
A topographic surname derived from a Germanic word meaning "grassy meadow". 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 Gareis (0.12 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 Gareis?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Gareis at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.