2000
#8,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,555
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.32
Rare Last name
Garretson
An English occupational surname for someone who worked as a guard or watchman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,970 Americans carry the last name Garretson. That puts it at #9,063 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,336 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garretson 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
4.0K
1 in 86,336
Census rank
#9,063
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,462 bearers of the surname Garretson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9063rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garretson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garretson
The surname Garretson is believed to have originated in the Netherlands, specifically in the Friesland region. It likely dates back to the 16th or 17th century. The name is thought to be derived from the old Frisian words "Gerryt" or "Gerrit," which were variations of the name Gerard, and the suffix "-son," meaning "son of." This suggests that the name originally referred to the son of someone named Gerard or Gerrit.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Dutch records from the city of Leeuwarden in Friesland, where a family named Garretson is mentioned in the late 1600s. It's possible that the name was initially associated with a particular occupation or location, as was common with many surnames during that time.
The Garretson name made its way to North America with Dutch settlers who emigrated to the New Netherland colony, which later became part of New York and New Jersey. One notable early bearer of the name was Reverend John Garretson, who was born in 1683 in the Netherlands and later became a prominent minister in the Dutch Reformed Church in America.
Another prominent figure with the surname Garretson was James Edmund Garretson, who was born in 1828 in New Jersey. He served as a Union Army officer during the American Civil War and later became a successful lawyer and businessman.
In the 19th century, the Garretson family established itself in various parts of the United States, particularly in the Midwest and Western regions. Notable individuals include:
1. John Garretson (1786-1858), a politician from Ohio who served in the United States House of Representatives.
2. Isaac D. Garretson (1822-1901), a pioneer and early settler in California who founded the town of Haywards, now part of Hayward, California.
3. Elbert Garretson (1846-1924), a businessman and philanthropist from Kansas who played a significant role in the development of the city of Topeka.
4. Wilbur E. Garretson (1895-1976), an American banker and businessman who served as the president of the First National Bank of San Diego, California.
5. Rembert Garretson (1901-1989), a renowned American artist and painter known for his landscapes and rural scenes.
While the Garretson name has its roots in the Netherlands, it has since become a part of the cultural tapestry of various countries, particularly in North America, where descendants of the original Dutch settlers have made significant contributions across various fields.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garretson
Among Census respondents with the surname Garretson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Garretson 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 Garretson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 3,075
- Two or more races3.8% · 130
- Black or African American3.1% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garretson
Garretson 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
#8,681
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,784
+229 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Down 147 places
2020
#9,063
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,462
-322 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 382 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,534 | 3,555 | 1.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,681 | 3,784 | 1.28 | +229 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 147 places |
| 2020 | #9,063 | 3,462 | 1.16 | -322 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 382 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 Garretson 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 | #8,681 | #9,063 | -4.4% |
| Count | 3,784 | 3,462 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.28 | 1.16 | -9.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garretson bearers went from 3,784 to 3,462 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 382 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,681 to #9,063.
FAQ
Garretson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garretson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,970 living Americans carry the surname Garretson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,336 residents.
How common is Garretson?
Garretson ranks #9,063 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 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 3,462 people with the surname Garretson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,970), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 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 Garretson.
Has Garretson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garretson went from 3,784 recorded bearers to 3,462. That is a decrease of 322 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,681 to #9,063.
What does the Census say about the background of Garretson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garretson, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Black (3.1%). 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 Garretson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (3,075 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garretson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Black (3.1%). 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 Garretson (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 Garretson mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who worked as a guard or watchman. 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 Garretson (1.16 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 common is the surname Garretson?
Want to know how many people have the surname Garretson? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.