2000
#8,746
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,459
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.28
Rare Last name
Garr
A shortened form of the German surname Garrecht, meaning "spear-right," referring to a soldier skilled with a spear.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,073 Americans carry the last name Garr. That puts it at #11,273 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,537 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garr 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 Garr with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 111,537
Census rank
#11,273
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,680 bearers of the surname Garr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11273rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garr, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garr
The surname GARR has its origins in Germany, where it is believed to have emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Old German word "gar," which means "spear" or "lance," suggesting that the name may have originally been an occupational name for someone who made or used spears or lances.
During the medieval period, the GARR surname was found primarily in the northern regions of Germany, particularly in areas like Saxony and Westphalia. Some early variations of the spelling included Garr, Garre, and Gahr, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic differences of that time.
One of the earliest recorded references to the GARR name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. This document mentions a certain "Henricus Garre," indicating the presence of the name in that area during that period.
In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the GARR surname was Johannes Garr, a German clergyman and scholar who lived from 1415 to 1482. He served as a professor at the University of Erfurt and was known for his works on theology and philosophy.
Another historical figure with the GARR surname was Hans Garr, a 16th-century German craftsman and woodcarver who was active in the city of Nuremberg. His intricate woodcarvings adorned many churches and buildings in the region, and his work is still admired today for its artistic and technical mastery.
Moving into the 17th century, a prominent individual with the GARR surname was Johann Garr, a German jurist and legal scholar who lived from 1605 to 1677. He served as a judge in the city of Leipzig and wrote several influential treatises on German law and legal principles.
In the 18th century, the GARR surname was associated with the German botanist and naturalist Johann Christoph Garr, who lived from 1725 to 1788. He made significant contributions to the study of plant life and is particularly known for his extensive work on the flora of Germany.
Throughout its history, the GARR surname has also been linked to various place names in Germany, such as the town of Garhausen, which likely derived its name from the Old German word "gar," similar to the origin of the surname itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garr
Among Census respondents with the surname Garr, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Garr 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 Garr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.7% · 2,029
- Black or African American12.8% · 342
- Two or more races5.5% · 148
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 95
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garr
Garr 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
#10,197
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,160
-299 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 1,451 places
2020
#11,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,680
-480 bearers (-15.2%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 1,076 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,746 | 3,459 | 1.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,197 | 3,160 | 1.07 | -299 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 1,451 places |
| 2020 | #11,273 | 2,680 | 0.90 | -480 bearers (-15.2%) | Down 1,076 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 Garr 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 | #10,197 | #11,273 | -10.6% |
| Count | 3,160 | 2,680 | -15.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 0.90 | -16.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garr bearers went from 3,160 to 2,680 (-15.2% change). The surname moved down 1,076 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,197 to #11,273.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Garr
FAQ
Garr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garr?
Name Census estimates that about 3,073 living Americans carry the surname Garr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,537 residents.
How common is Garr?
Garr ranks #11,273 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,680 people with the surname Garr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,073), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Garr.
Has Garr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garr went from 3,160 recorded bearers to 2,680. That is a decrease of 480 (-15.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,197 to #11,273.
What does the Census say about the background of Garr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garr, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.7%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Garr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.7% (2,029 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.7%), Black (12.8%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Garr (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 Garr mean?
A shortened form of the German surname Garrecht, meaning "spear-right," referring to a soldier skilled with a spear. 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 Garr (0.90 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 share the surname Garr?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.