2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gauthe
A habitational surname derived from a place name in France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Gauthe. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gauthe 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Gauthe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gauthe, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gauthe
The surname Gauthe is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from an old French word "gaut," which means a wooded area or forest. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or in a forested region.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Gauthe can be traced back to the 12th century in various regions of France, particularly in the northern and central areas. Historical records from this time period, such as tax rolls and parish registers, contain references to individuals bearing this surname or variations of it, like Gauthier or Gautier.
One notable historical figure with the name Gauthe was Jean Gauthe, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War during the 14th century. He was born in 1325 and died in 1397. Another prominent individual was Pierre Gauthe, a renowned scholar and philosopher who lived in the 16th century (1520-1590).
In the medieval era, the name Gauthe was also associated with certain place names in France, such as the village of Gauthier in the Normandy region. This suggests that the surname may have originated as a locational name, referring to someone who came from or lived near that particular place.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Gauthe surname spread across various parts of Europe, including Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany, likely due to migration and emigration patterns. One notable figure from this period was Jean-Baptiste Gauthe (1670-1738), a French architect who designed several prominent buildings in Paris.
Another individual of historical significance was Marie-Antoinette Gauthe (1755-1793), a French noblewoman who lived during the era of the French Revolution. She was born into a wealthy family but was eventually executed by guillotine during the Reign of Terror.
As the name Gauthe continued to spread and evolve over time, various spellings and variations emerged, such as Gaut, Gauth, Gauthey, and Gauthier. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and linguistic traditions in different parts of Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gauthe
Among Census respondents with the surname Gauthe, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Hispanic (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gauthe 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 Gauthe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 100
- Black or African American6.7% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gauthe
Gauthe 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-10 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,694 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,821 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 16,694 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,821 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 Gauthe 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 | #139,228 | #142,049 | -2.0% |
| Count | 120 | 120 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gauthe bearers went from 120 to 120 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 2,821 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #142,049.
FAQ
Gauthe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gauthe?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Gauthe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Gauthe?
Gauthe ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Gauthe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Gauthe.
Has Gauthe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gauthe went from 120 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Gauthe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gauthe, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Gauthe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gauthe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Black (6.7%), Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Gauthe (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 Gauthe mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name in France. 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 Gauthe (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 share the surname Gauthe?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.