2010
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gastwirth
A German surname meaning "innkeeper" or "host".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Gastwirth. 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 Gastwirth 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 Gastwirth 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 Gastwirth, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gastwirth
The surname GASTWIRTH originated in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the German words "Gast" meaning "guest" and "Wirth" meaning "host" or "innkeeper". It likely referred to an individual who owned or operated an inn or tavern, providing lodging and sustenance to travelers and guests.
The GASTWIRTH name was primarily concentrated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, where many small villages and towns had inns and taverns catering to travelers along major trade routes. The first documented instance of the name appears in a parish register from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in 1542, referring to a certain Hans GASTWIRTH.
In the 17th century, the name GASTWIRTH can be found in several historical records and documents from various German principalities. For example, a Johannes GASTWIRTH was mentioned in a land registry in the town of Esslingen am Neckar in 1623, suggesting he was a landowner or innkeeper in that area.
One of the earliest known bearers of the GASTWIRTH name was Konrad GASTWIRTH, born in 1678 in the village of Unterreichenbach, located in the present-day state of Baden-Württemberg. He was a respected innkeeper and is recorded as having hosted several important travelers and dignitaries during his lifetime.
Another notable individual with the GASTWIRTH surname was Johann Michael GASTWIRTH (1753-1819), a prominent businessman and entrepreneur from the city of Augsburg in Bavaria. He owned several successful inns and taverns throughout the region and was known for his philanthropic contributions to the local community.
In the 19th century, the GASTWIRTH name gained recognition through the works of the German writer and poet, Friedrich GASTWIRTH (1812-1878). He was born in the town of Karlsruhe and is remembered for his romantic and patriotic poetry, which celebrated the beauty of the German countryside and the virtues of hard work and hospitality – values that were closely associated with the innkeeping profession and the GASTWIRTH name.
As Germany experienced waves of emigration in the 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals bearing the GASTWIRTH surname sought opportunities in other parts of the world, particularly in the United States, Canada, and South America. However, the name has remained most prominent in its homeland, with records indicating a continued presence of the GASTWIRTH family in various parts of Germany to this day.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gastwirth
Among Census respondents with the surname Gastwirth, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gastwirth 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 Gastwirth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gastwirth
Gastwirth 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
+9 bearers (+8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,262 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.3%) | Up 7,262 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 Gastwirth 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 | #151,532 | #144,270 | 4.8% |
| Count | 108 | 117 | 8.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gastwirth bearers went from 108 to 117 (+8.3% change). The surname moved up 7,262 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #144,270.
FAQ
Gastwirth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gastwirth?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Gastwirth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Gastwirth?
Gastwirth 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 Gastwirth. 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 Gastwirth.
Has Gastwirth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gastwirth went from 108 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 9 (+8.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Gastwirth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gastwirth, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Gastwirth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gastwirth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Gastwirth (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 Gastwirth mean?
A German surname meaning "innkeeper" or "host". 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 Gastwirth (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 Gastwirth?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Gastwirth at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.