2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Garnatz
A locational surname derived from the German placename Garnitzhuette.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Garnatz. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garnatz 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Garnatz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garnatz, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garnatz
The surname Garnatz is believed to have originated in the German-speaking regions of Central Europe, likely in the late Middle Ages or early modern period. Its roots can be traced back to the German word "Garten," meaning garden, and the suffix "-atz," which was commonly used to denote a place of origin or occupation.
Garnatz is thought to have been an occupational surname originally given to individuals who worked as gardeners or tended to gardens, orchards, or vineyards. It may also have been a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near or worked on a specific garden or estate.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Garnatz can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval records from the region of Saxony, dated around the 13th century. It mentions a certain "Johannes Garnatz" as a witness to a land transaction.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Garnatz was Hans Garnatz, a German painter and engraver born in Nuremberg around 1520. His works, primarily religious scenes and portraits, can be found in several museums and collections across Europe.
Another important bearer of the name was Johann Garnatz, a German composer and organist who lived in the 17th century. He is known for his contributions to the development of the Lutheran church music tradition, particularly his sacred compositions for organ and choir.
In the 19th century, a prominent Garnatz was Carl Garnatz, a German mathematician and educator born in 1809. He taught at various universities and authored several textbooks on mathematics and geometry, which were widely used in German-speaking regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the United States can be traced back to the late 18th century, when a family of Garnatz immigrants from Germany settled in Pennsylvania. Among them was Johann Garnatz, a farmer born in 1765, who established a homestead in the region.
Throughout history, variations of the spelling have included Garnatz, Garnetz, Garnattz, and Garnats, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences of the areas where the name was most prevalent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garnatz
Among Census respondents with the surname Garnatz, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Garnatz 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 Garnatz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 104
- Two or more races7.6% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garnatz
Garnatz 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-8 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,963 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 15,963 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 362 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 Garnatz 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 | #143,149 | #143,511 | -0.3% |
| Count | 116 | 118 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garnatz bearers went from 116 to 118 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 362 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #143,511.
FAQ
Garnatz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garnatz?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Garnatz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Garnatz?
Garnatz ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Garnatz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Garnatz.
Has Garnatz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garnatz went from 116 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Garnatz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garnatz, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.6%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Garnatz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garnatz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Two or More Races (7.6%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Garnatz (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 Garnatz mean?
A locational surname derived from the German placename Garnitzhuette. 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 Garnatz (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 Garnatz?
Want to know how many people have the surname Garnatz? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.