2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Garlit
An English surname possibly derived from the Old French "garleit" meaning young lad or servant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Garlit. 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 Garlit 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 Garlit 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 Garlit, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 60.7%. The next largest groups are White (34.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garlit
The surname GARLIT has its origins in England, emerging in the late 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "gār" meaning spear, and "lītian" meaning to dye or stain, suggesting a possible occupational origin for dyers of spear shafts or other wooden objects.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Huntingdonshire Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a Robert Garlit is listed as a resident of the village of Brampton. This suggests the name was already established in that region by the late medieval period.
In the 14th century, variations such as Garlyt and Garlytte can be found in records from Somerset and Gloucestershire respectively, indicating the name's spread across southern England. The nearby village of Garland in Somerset may have contributed to the evolution of the spelling.
An entry in the Pipe Rolls of 1301 references a William Garlit from Oxfordshire, suggesting the name's presence in that county as well. This document recorded financial transactions and taxes paid to the Crown, lending further credence to the surname's longevity.
Notable individuals bearing the GARLIT surname include John Garlit (c.1420-1488), a merchant and landowner from Norfolk who served as a justice of the peace. His descendants continued to hold positions of local prominence in the region for several generations.
In the 16th century, a Thomas Garlit (c.1510-1572) gained recognition as a skilled blacksmith in the village of Ashburnham, Sussex. His craftsmanship was sought after by nobility and gentry throughout the county.
The 17th century saw the rise of Richard Garlit (1642-1712), a successful wool merchant from Gloucestershire who amassed considerable wealth through his trade with the continent. His estate and manor house near Stroud became a landmark in the area.
Moving into the 18th century, a notable figure was Elizabeth Garlit (1735-1801), a philanthropist from Oxfordshire who founded several charitable institutions for the education of underprivileged children in her region.
Finally, in the 19th century, Joseph Garlit (1812-1887) made his mark as a pioneering horticulturist from Kent, developing several new varieties of apples and pears that were widely cultivated throughout England and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garlit
Among Census respondents with the surname Garlit, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 60.7%. The next largest groups are White (34.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Garlit 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 Garlit surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander60.7% · 68
- White34.8% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garlit
Garlit 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
#138,304
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,938 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-9 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,650 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #138,304 | 121 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 6,938 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 9,650 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 Garlit 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 | #138,304 | #147,954 | -7.0% |
| Count | 121 | 112 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garlit bearers went from 121 to 112 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 9,650 positions in the national ranking, going from #138,304 to #147,954.
FAQ
Garlit surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garlit?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Garlit. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Garlit?
Garlit 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 Garlit. 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 Garlit.
Has Garlit become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garlit went from 121 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #138,304 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Garlit?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garlit, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 60.7%. The next largest groups are White (34.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Garlit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.7% (68 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garlit appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (60.7%), White (34.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.7%). 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 Garlit (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 Garlit mean?
An English surname possibly derived from the Old French "garleit" meaning young lad or servant. 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 Garlit (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 are called Garlit?
See how many people have the last name Garlit on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.