2000
#11,321
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,561
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Garlick
An English occupational surname referring to a grower, seller, or cultivator of garlic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,749 Americans carry the last name Garlick. That puts it at #12,374 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,683 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garlick 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 Garlick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 124,683
Census rank
#12,374
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,397 bearers of the surname Garlick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12374th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garlick, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garlick
The surname Garlick has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "gar" meaning spear and "leac" meaning leek or garden plant. Initially spelled as "Garlec" or "Garleck", it referred to someone who grew or sold garlic or leeks.
The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, mentioning a William Garlec. The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 also include a reference to a John Garlick. These medieval records suggest the name was present in various regions of England during that period.
In the 16th century, the surname appears in the parish records of Stoke Dry in Rutland, where a John Garlick was mentioned in 1585. The spelling variations during this time included "Garlicke", "Garleck", and "Garlyk". One notable individual was Thomas Garlick, born in 1588 in Leicestershire, who became a prominent landowner and member of the gentry.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Garlick. However, it does mention several place names that may have influenced the development of the surname, such as Garlic Street in London and Garlic Hill in Hertfordshire.
Other notable individuals with the surname Garlick include:
1. Sir Samuel Garlick (1652-1718), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Northampton.
2. Benjamin Garlick (1720-1787), an English engraver and printmaker known for his portraits and landscapes.
3. Theodric Romeyn Garlick (1805-1888), an American physician and pioneer settler in Michigan.
4. Alfred Norman Garlick (1865-1940), a British architect known for his work on churches and public buildings.
5. Virginia Garlick (1918-2003), an American author and illustrator of children's books.
While the surname Garlick is not among the most common in England, it has persisted over centuries and can be traced back to the medieval period. Its origins reflect the occupational and locational naming practices prevalent in early English society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garlick
Among Census respondents with the surname Garlick, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Garlick 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 Garlick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 2,065
- Black or African American6.0% · 145
- Two or more races3.3% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 30
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garlick
Garlick 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
#11,409
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,763
+202 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 88 places
2020
#12,374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,397
-366 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 965 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,321 | 2,561 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,409 | 2,763 | 0.94 | +202 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 88 places |
| 2020 | #12,374 | 2,397 | 0.80 | -366 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 965 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 Garlick 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 | #11,409 | #12,374 | -8.5% |
| Count | 2,763 | 2,397 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.94 | 0.80 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garlick bearers went from 2,763 to 2,397 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 965 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,409 to #12,374.
FAQ
Garlick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garlick?
Name Census estimates that about 2,749 living Americans carry the surname Garlick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,683 residents.
How common is Garlick?
Garlick ranks #12,374 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,397 people with the surname Garlick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,749), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Garlick.
Has Garlick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garlick went from 2,763 recorded bearers to 2,397. That is a decrease of 366 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,409 to #12,374.
What does the Census say about the background of Garlick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garlick, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Garlick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (2,065 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garlick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Black (6.0%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Garlick (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 Garlick mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a grower, seller, or cultivator of garlic. 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 Garlick (0.80 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 Garlick?
If you just want to know how common the surname Garlick is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.