Find out how popular the last name Garst is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Garst.

Garst, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Garst surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Garst in America

Garst is the 16887th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Garst surname appeared 1,687 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Garst.

We can also compare 2010 data for Garst to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Garst

The surname Garst originates from Germany, with its roots dating back to the 12th century. The name is believed to have derived from the Old German words "gart" or "garten," meaning "garden" or "enclosure." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to individuals who lived near or worked in a garden or an enclosed area.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Garst surname can be found in the Codex Falkensteinensis, a German manuscript from the 13th century. It mentions a certain "Heinricus Garst" in the year 1268, indicating the presence of the name in the region during that time.

In the 16th century, the Garst surname appeared in various historical records, including the Württembergisches Klosterbuch, a register of monasteries in Württemberg, Germany. This document references a "Hans Garst" from the town of Marbach am Neckar in 1542.

The Garst name has also been associated with notable individuals throughout history. One such figure was Johann Garst (1592-1657), a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Tübingen in Germany. Another was Friedrich Garst (1777-1842), a German writer and poet from Württemberg.

Moving across the Atlantic, the Garst surname found its way to the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries, carried by German immigrants seeking new opportunities. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is that of Johann Michael Garst, who arrived in Pennsylvania from the Palatinate region of Germany in 1738.

In the 19th century, the Garst family established roots in Ohio, with several members becoming prominent figures in the state. Roswell Garst (1807-1873) was a successful farmer and landowner in Logan County, while his son, Jacob Garst (1844-1920), became a noted politician and served as the Mayor of Sidney, Ohio.

Another notable figure was Hubert Garst (1855-1934), a businessman from Virginia who founded the Garst Seed Company, which played a significant role in the development of hybrid corn varieties. His son, Roswell Garst (1898-1977), continued the family's legacy in agriculture and hosted Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev on his farm in 1959, a historic event during the Cold War era.

While the Garst surname may have originated in Germany, it has since spread across the globe, with individuals bearing this name leaving their mark in various fields, from academia and literature to politics and agriculture.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Garst

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Garst.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Garst was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Garst has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Garst was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Garst, please contact us.

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