2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Garlets
A Germanic surname possibly derived from the German word "garte" meaning "enclosure" or "fenced area."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Garlets. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garlets 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Garlets in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garlets, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garlets
The surname Garlets is believed to have originated in Germany, with its roots dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to have derived from the Old German word "gart," meaning "garden" or "enclosure," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked in a garden or enclosed area.
One of the earliest known references to the name Garlets can be found in the Deutsches Familiennamen-Lexikon, a German dictionary of family names published in the late 19th century. This source mentions the name Garlets as being present in the region of Saxony-Anhalt, particularly in the areas around the cities of Halle and Magdeburg.
During the Middle Ages, the name Garlets appeared in various forms, such as Gartletz, Gartlitz, and Gartlitz, reflecting the regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. These variations were likely influenced by local dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the name in official documents.
One notable figure bearing the name Garlets was Johann Garlets, a merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Torgau, Saxony, in the late 15th century. Records from that time show that he owned several properties and was involved in the local trade guild.
In the 17th century, a prominent family with the surname Garlets resided in the city of Kiel, in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Christoph Garlets, born in 1635, was a respected jurist and served as a legal advisor to the Duke of Holstein-Gottorp.
Another notable individual was Henrich Garlets, a Protestant theologian who lived in the late 16th century. He studied at the University of Wittenberg and later became a pastor in the town of Zerbst, in the region of Saxony-Anhalt.
Additionally, the name Garlets has been associated with several place names in Germany, such as Gartlitz, a village in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, and Gartleben, a municipality in Lower Saxony. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
While the surname Garlets is not as common today as some other German surnames, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and reflects the cultural and linguistic diversity of the regions where it originated and evolved.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garlets
Among Census respondents with the surname Garlets, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Garlets 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 Garlets surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.2% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino4.6% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.6% · 5
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garlets
Garlets appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-6 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,064 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 6,064 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 Garlets 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 | #144,141 | #150,205 | -4.2% |
| Count | 115 | 109 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garlets bearers went from 115 to 109 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 6,064 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #150,205.
FAQ
Garlets surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garlets?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Garlets. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Garlets?
Garlets ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Garlets. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Garlets.
Has Garlets become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garlets went from 115 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Garlets?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garlets, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%). 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 Garlets in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garlets appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.2%), Hispanic (4.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%). 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 Garlets (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 Garlets mean?
A Germanic surname possibly derived from the German word "garte" meaning "enclosure" or "fenced area." 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 Garlets (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 many people have the surname Garlets?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.