2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Garty
A surname likely of French origin, possibly derived from the French word "gars" meaning boy.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Garty. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garty 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 Garty with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Garty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garty, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Hispanic (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garty
The surname GARTY is of Scottish origin, emerging in the 13th century from the Gaelic word "gart," meaning "enclosed field" or "garden." It is believed to have originated in the Highlands region of Scotland, particularly in areas around Inverness and Moray.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, where a person named John de Garty is mentioned in 1329. This suggests that the name may have been derived from a place name or a descriptive term related to an enclosed field or garden.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various Scottish records, such as the Register of the Great Seal of Scotland, where a certain William Garty is mentioned in 1450. This indicates that the name had become more widespread and established by that time.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the GARTY surname can be found in various historical documents, including parish records and legal proceedings. One notable example is John Garty, born in 1587 in Inverness, who was a prominent merchant and landowner in the region.
The GARTY name has also been associated with several notable figures throughout history. In the 18th century, Robert Garty (1712-1789) was a Scottish philosopher and educator who made significant contributions to the field of moral philosophy. He served as a professor at the University of Edinburgh and wrote extensively on ethics and human nature.
Another notable bearer of the GARTY surname was Elizabeth Garty (1841-1919), a Scottish suffragette and social reformer. She played a crucial role in the women's suffrage movement in Scotland and campaigned tirelessly for equal rights and representation.
In the 19th century, the GARTY name spread beyond Scotland as members of the family emigrated to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. One notable example is James Garty (1845-1922), a Canadian politician and businessman who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.
The GARTY surname has also been associated with various places and geographical features in Scotland. For example, the village of Gartymore in Aberdeenshire is believed to have derived its name from the Gaelic "Gart Mòr," meaning "large enclosed field."
Throughout its history, the GARTY surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Gartie, Gairty, and Garty, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences of different areas in Scotland.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garty
Among Census respondents with the surname Garty, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Hispanic (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Garty 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 Garty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 92
- Black or African American8.3% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garty
Garty 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-16 bearers (-13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 25,868 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+6 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,029 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -16 bearers (-13.4%) | Down 25,868 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.8%) | Up 7,029 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 Garty 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 | #157,234 | #150,205 | 4.5% |
| Count | 103 | 109 | 5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 21.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garty bearers went from 103 to 109 (+5.8% change). The surname moved up 7,029 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #150,205.
FAQ
Garty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garty?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Garty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Garty?
Garty ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Garty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Garty.
Has Garty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garty went from 103 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 6 (+5.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Garty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garty, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (8.3%) and Hispanic (6.4%). 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 Garty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), Black (8.3%), Hispanic (6.4%). 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 Garty (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 Garty mean?
A surname likely of French origin, possibly derived from the French word "gars" meaning boy. 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 Garty (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 last name Garty?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Garty, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.