2000
#7,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,415
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.64
Rare Last name
Gast
A German and Jewish occupational surname denoting an innkeeper or a person who entertains guests.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,069 Americans carry the last name Gast. That puts it at #7,267 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 67,618 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gast 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
5.1K
1 in 67,618
Census rank
#7,267
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,420 bearers of the surname Gast in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7267th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gast, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gast
Among Census respondents with the surname Gast, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gast 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 Gast surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 4,090
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 154
- Two or more races2.5% · 110
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 23
- Black or African American0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gast
Gast 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
#7,235
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,612
+197 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 235 places
2020
#7,267
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,420
-192 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.48
Rank movement Down 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,000 | 4,415 | 1.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,235 | 4,612 | 1.56 | +197 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 235 places |
| 2020 | #7,267 | 4,420 | 1.48 | -192 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 32 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 Gast 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 | #7,235 | #7,267 | -0.4% |
| Count | 4,612 | 4,420 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.56 | 1.48 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gast bearers went from 4,612 to 4,420 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,235 to #7,267.
FAQ
Gast surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gast?
Name Census estimates that about 5,069 living Americans carry the surname Gast. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 67,618 residents.
How common is Gast?
Gast ranks #7,267 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,420 people with the surname Gast. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,069), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gast.
Has Gast become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gast went from 4,612 recorded bearers to 4,420. That is a decrease of 192 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,235 to #7,267.
What does the Census say about the background of Gast?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gast, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Gast in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (4,090 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gast appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Gast (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 Gast mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname denoting an innkeeper or a person who entertains guests. 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 Gast (1.48 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 Gast?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Gast at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.