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

Gast, 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 Gast surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gast in America

Gast is the 7235th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gast surname appeared 4,612 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Gast.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gast 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 Gast

The surname Gast originated in Germany during the medieval period, likely derived from the Old German word "gast," meaning "guest" or "stranger." It was initially used as a descriptive name for someone who was a newcomer, traveler, or outsider in a particular region or village.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gast can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval documents from the Rhine region, dating back to the 12th century. The name appeared in various spellings, such as Gast, Gest, and Geste, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and orthography.

In the 13th century, the name Gast was documented in the Annalen des Klosters Andechs, a chronicle of the Andechs Monastery in Bavaria, where it referred to a family of landowners or noblemen. This suggests that the name had gained prominence and was associated with individuals of high social standing.

During the Middle Ages, the name Gast was also connected to various place names, such as Gasthaus (guesthouse) and Gastkirche (guest church), indicating that it may have been adopted by individuals who lived near or were associated with these establishments.

One notable bearer of the surname Gast was Johannes Gast (c. 1410-1478), a German Catholic priest and theologian from Nuremberg. He was a prominent figure in the Observant Franciscan movement and played a significant role in the reform of the Franciscan Order in Germany.

Another individual with the surname Gast was Johann Gast (c. 1500-1552), a German Protestant theologian and reformer from Saxony. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and participated in the translation of the Bible into German.

In the 16th century, the name Gast appeared in the records of the city of Augsburg, where Hans Gast (c. 1530-1600) was a prominent merchant and member of the city council.

During the 17th century, the surname Gast was found in various regions of Germany, including Saxony, Bavaria, and the Rhineland. One notable bearer was Johann Friedrich Gast (1644-1719), a German composer and organist from Saxony, who served as the court musician for the Dukes of Saxe-Weissenfels.

Throughout its history, the surname Gast has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including clergy, scholars, merchants, and artists, reflecting the diversity of its origins and the widespread nature of the name across German-speaking regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gast

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

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 Gast 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 Gast 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 Gast was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!