2000
#4,705
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,890
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.55
Rare Last name
Garrity
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Gearaíodh," meaning "descendant of Gearaídh" (a personal name of uncertain meaning).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,767 Americans carry the last name Garrity. That puts it at #5,021 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,130 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garrity 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 Garrity with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 44,130
Census rank
#5,021
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,773 bearers of the surname Garrity in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5021st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garrity, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garrity
The surname Garrity is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Gaelic surname Ó Gairbhíth, which means "descendant of Gairbhíth," a personal name that means "rough" or "coarse." The name is believed to have originated in County Westmeath, Ireland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Garrity surname can be found in the Fiants of the Reign of Elizabeth I, a collection of official documents from the late 16th century. In these records, the name appears as "O'Garvie" and "O'Garvey," which are anglicized versions of the original Irish form.
The Garrity name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. In the 17th century, Sir William Garrity was a prominent landowner and member of the Irish Parliament. He played a significant role in the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and was eventually executed for his involvement.
Another notable Garrity was John Garrity, a 19th-century Irish-American politician who served as the Mayor of San Francisco from 1871 to 1875. He was instrumental in the development of the city's infrastructure and public transportation system.
In the literary world, Patrick Garrity (1926-2003) was a renowned Irish poet and playwright. His works, such as "The Autobiography of a Novelist" and "The Flower of Silence," explored themes of identity, loss, and the human condition.
The Garrity surname has also been associated with various place names in Ireland. For example, Garritylough, a townland in County Mayo, derives its name from the Irish "Garbhthach Locha," which means "rough lake."
Another notable figure with the Garrity surname was Michael Garrity (1835-1920), an Irish-American labor leader and politician. He played a significant role in the labor movement in the United States and served as the President of the American Federation of Labor from 1882 to 1886.
While the Garrity surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Irish immigration to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garrity
Among Census respondents with the surname Garrity, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Garrity 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 Garrity surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 6,289
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 214
- Two or more races2.3% · 158
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 46
- Black or African American0.6% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garrity
Garrity 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
#4,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,156
+266 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 2.43
Rank movement Down 209 places
2020
#5,021
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,773
-383 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.27
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,705 | 6,890 | 2.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,914 | 7,156 | 2.43 | +266 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 209 places |
| 2020 | #5,021 | 6,773 | 2.27 | -383 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 107 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 Garrity 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 | #4,914 | #5,021 | -2.2% |
| Count | 7,156 | 6,773 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.43 | 2.27 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garrity bearers went from 7,156 to 6,773 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,914 to #5,021.
FAQ
Garrity surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garrity?
Name Census estimates that about 7,767 living Americans carry the surname Garrity. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,130 residents.
How common is Garrity?
Garrity ranks #5,021 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.27 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,773 people with the surname Garrity. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,767), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.27 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Garrity.
Has Garrity become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garrity went from 7,156 recorded bearers to 6,773. That is a decrease of 383 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,914 to #5,021.
What does the Census say about the background of Garrity?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garrity, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Garrity in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (6,289 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garrity appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.3%). 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 Garrity (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 Garrity mean?
An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Gearaíodh," meaning "descendant of Gearaídh" (a personal name of uncertain meaning). 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 Garrity (2.27 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 have the surname Garrity?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.