2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Gartung
A surname derived from the German word "Garten," referring to a person from or associated with a garden.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Gartung. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gartung 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Gartung in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gartung, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gartung
The surname Gartung is of German origin, deriving from the Low German word "garten" meaning garden. It is believed to have emerged in the northern regions of Germany during the medieval period, likely referring to someone who lived near or worked in a garden or orchard.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gartung can be found in the historical records of the city of Hamburg, where a certain Johannes Gartung is mentioned as a merchant in the year 1457. The name also appears in various other German municipal records from the 15th and 16th centuries, often associated with professions related to gardening or horticulture.
In the 17th century, the Gartung name gained prominence in the town of Oldenburg, where a family of that name played a significant role in the local horticultural industry. Johann Gartung (1621-1687), a renowned horticulturist, is credited with introducing several new varieties of fruit trees to the region.
Another notable figure bearing the Gartung name was Christoph Gartung (1725-1793), a renowned botanist and naturalist from the city of Kassel. He was a respected authority on the flora of central Germany and authored several influential works on the subject.
During the 19th century, the Gartung name spread across various regions of Germany, with several individuals achieving notable accomplishments. One such person was Wilhelm Gartung (1812-1879), a prominent architect from Berlin who designed several iconic buildings in the city, including the Charlottenburg Palace.
In more recent times, the name Gartung has been associated with various fields, including academia, the arts, and sports. For example, Heinz Gartung (1905-1984) was a renowned German linguist and philologist, while Erich Gartung (1917-1998) was a celebrated painter and sculptor.
While the surname Gartung may have originated in northern Germany, it has since spread across various parts of the world due to migration and immigration. However, its roots can be traced back to the medieval era, where it was likely associated with the profession of gardening or horticulture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gartung
Among Census respondents with the surname Gartung, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gartung 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 Gartung surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.3% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gartung
Gartung 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
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+16 bearers (+15.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 15,442 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +16 bearers (+15.8%) | Up 15,442 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 Gartung 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 | #159,712 | #144,270 | 9.7% |
| Count | 101 | 117 | 15.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 30.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gartung bearers went from 101 to 117 (+15.8% change). The surname moved up 15,442 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #144,270.
FAQ
Gartung surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gartung?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Gartung. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Gartung?
Gartung ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Gartung. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Gartung.
Has Gartung become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gartung went from 101 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 16 (+15.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Gartung?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gartung, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Gartung in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.3% (115 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gartung appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.3%), Hispanic (1.7%). 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 Gartung (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 Gartung mean?
A surname derived from the German word "Garten," referring to a person from or associated with a garden. 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 Gartung (0.04 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 Gartung?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.