2000
#12,405
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,295
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.85
Rare Last name
Gautier
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of gaiters or wallets.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,707 Americans carry the last name Gautier. That puts it at #12,532 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 126,618 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gautier 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 Gautier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.7K
1 in 126,618
Census rank
#12,532
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,361 bearers of the surname Gautier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12532nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gautier, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (27.5%) and Black (9.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gautier
The surname Gautier originated in medieval France, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French personal name "Gautier," which itself comes from the Germanic "Waltharius," meaning "ruler of the army." This name was popular during the Middle Ages and was often bestowed upon nobility and military leaders.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gautier surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears as "Walterus" and is listed among the landholders in various counties.
In the 13th century, the Gautier family established a prominent presence in the region of Normandy, France. One notable member was Gilles Gautier (c. 1240 - c. 1310), a French trouvère and poet who wrote several chansons and lays during the golden age of medieval French literature.
The Gautier name also has connections to various place names in France, such as Gaultier in the Normandy region and Gautier in the Auvergne region. These places likely took their names from early settlers or landowners bearing the Gautier surname.
As the Gautier family spread across Europe, variations in spelling emerged, including Gauthier, Gaultier, and Waltier. One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Théophile Gautier (1811 - 1872), a French poet, novelist, and critic who was a prominent figure in the Romantic movement.
Another notable Gautier was Judith Gautier (1845 - 1917), a French novelist, poet, and translator who was the daughter of Théophile Gautier. She was known for her works that explored Oriental themes and cultures.
In the world of art, Jean-Baptiste Gautier Dagoty (1717 - 1786) was a French engraver and printer who is credited with inventing the process of color printing using multiple plates, a technique known as "le procédé Gautier."
The Gautier name also had a presence in the military, with Jean-Baptiste Gautier (1793 - 1881), a French general who served under Napoleon and later became a member of the French Senate.
Finally, in the realm of music, the surname is associated with Henri Gautier (1660 - 1737), a French composer and organist who was highly regarded for his compositions for the organ and harpsichord during the Baroque period.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gautier
Among Census respondents with the surname Gautier, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (27.5%) and Black (9.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gautier 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 Gautier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.7% · 1,386
- Hispanic or Latino27.5% · 650
- Black or African American9.7% · 228
- Two or more races2.9% · 69
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gautier
Gautier 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
#12,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,505
+210 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 6 places
2020
#12,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,361
-144 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.79
Rank movement Down 121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,405 | 2,295 | 0.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,411 | 2,505 | 0.85 | +210 bearers (+9.2%) | Down 6 places |
| 2020 | #12,532 | 2,361 | 0.79 | -144 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 121 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 Gautier 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 | #12,411 | #12,532 | -1.0% |
| Count | 2,505 | 2,361 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.79 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gautier bearers went from 2,505 to 2,361 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 121 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,411 to #12,532.
FAQ
Gautier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gautier?
Name Census estimates that about 2,707 living Americans carry the surname Gautier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 126,618 residents.
How common is Gautier?
Gautier ranks #12,532 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.79 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 2,361 people with the surname Gautier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,707), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.79 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 Gautier.
Has Gautier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gautier went from 2,505 recorded bearers to 2,361. That is a decrease of 144 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,411 to #12,532.
What does the Census say about the background of Gautier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gautier, the largest self-reported group is White at 58.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (27.5%) and Black (9.7%). 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 Gautier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.7% (1,386 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gautier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (58.7%), Hispanic (27.5%), Black (9.7%). 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 Gautier (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 Gautier mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of gaiters or wallets. 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 Gautier (0.79 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 Gautier?
You can see how many people are called Gautier on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.