2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Garsow
A German surname derived from a place name referring to someone originally from Garsow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Garsow. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garsow 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Garsow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garsow, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garsow
The surname Garsow has its origins in the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, dating back to the early 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Low German word "garse," meaning a small brook or stream, suggesting that the name may have initially been used to identify someone who lived near or alongside a minor watercourse.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Garsow can be found in the parish records of the village of Garsow, located in the Uckermark region of Brandenburg, which dates back to 1522. This village likely took its name from the nearby Garsow stream, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and its geographic origins.
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, including Garsau, Garsouw, and Garssow, reflecting the phonetic variations and regional dialects of the time. However, the modern spelling of Garsow became more standardized by the late 18th century.
Notable individuals bearing the Garsow surname include Johann Garsow, a German theologian and author from Mecklenburg, who lived from 1591 to 1668 and published several works on religious subjects. Another notable figure was Friedrich Wilhelm Garsow, a Prussian military officer born in 1785, who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a decorated general in the Prussian army.
In the 19th century, the Garsow name gained prominence in the arts, with the painter Carl Garsow (1823-1880), known for his landscapes and seascapes, and the composer and musician Gustav Garsow (1855-1920), who was celebrated for his choral works and compositions for wind instruments.
More recently, the archaeologist and historian Gerd Garsow (1923-2003) made significant contributions to the study of medieval settlements and fortifications in northern Germany, particularly in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, where the name originated.
While the Garsow surname is not among the most common in Germany, it has a rich historical legacy rooted in the geographic and cultural heritage of the northern German regions, with notable individuals bearing this name leaving their mark across various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garsow
Among Census respondents with the surname Garsow, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Garsow 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 Garsow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.0% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garsow
Garsow appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 5,293 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 5,293 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 Garsow 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 | #160,975 | #155,682 | 3.3% |
| Count | 100 | 100 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garsow bearers went from 100 to 100 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 5,293 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #155,682.
FAQ
Garsow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garsow?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Garsow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Garsow?
Garsow ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Garsow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Garsow.
Has Garsow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garsow went from 100 recorded bearers to 100. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Garsow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garsow, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Garsow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garsow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Garsow (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 Garsow mean?
A German surname derived from a place name referring to someone originally from Garsow. 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 Garsow (0.03 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 Garsow?
Want to know how common the surname Garsow is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.