2000
#3,224
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,164
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.77
Uncommon Last name
Gaytan
A Spanish surname derived from a place name meaning "place of the Goths" or "place of the Germans."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,396 Americans carry the last name Gaytan. That puts it at #2,464 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,905 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gaytan 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
16K
1 in 20,905
Census rank
#2,464
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,298 bearers of the surname Gaytan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2464th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaytan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Black (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gaytan
The surname Gaytan originated in Spain, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "gayata," which means a kind of rope or cord used for securing sails on ships. The name likely originated as an occupational surname for those who worked with ropes or cords, perhaps as sailors or ropemakers.
The surname Gaytan can be traced back to various regions of Spain, including Andalusia, Castile, and Galicia. It appears in several historical documents, such as the Libro del Repartimiento de Sevilla, a record of land grants in Seville after the Christian conquest of the city in 1248. This suggests that the name was already established in Spain by the 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Gaytan was Juan Gaytan, a Spanish nobleman and military commander who lived in the late 14th century. He participated in the Reconquista, the Christian campaign to reclaim the Iberian Peninsula from Moorish rule.
Another notable figure was Pedro Gaytan, a Spanish explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés during the conquest of Mexico in the early 16th century. He played a role in the fall of the Aztec Empire and the establishment of Spanish rule in the region.
In the 17th century, Diego Gaytan de Ayala was a prominent Spanish writer and playwright. He authored several works, including plays and poetry, and was known for his contributions to the literary culture of the Golden Age of Spanish literature.
During the 18th century, Manuel Gaytan de Torres y Muñoz was a Spanish military officer and colonial administrator. He served as the Governor of the Philippines from 1778 to 1787, overseeing the Spanish colonial government in the archipelago.
In the 19th century, José Gaytan y Ayala was a Mexican politician and lawyer. He served as a member of the Mexican Congress and played a role in the reform movements of the mid-19th century, advocating for liberal policies and social changes.
Over time, the surname Gaytan has spread beyond Spain and Spanish-speaking regions, carried by individuals and families who migrated to other parts of the world. However, its origins can be traced back to the Iberian Peninsula, where it emerged as an occupational surname reflecting the traditional maritime and rope-making trades.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gaytan
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaytan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Black (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gaytan 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 Gaytan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.1% · 13,593
- White4.3% · 611
- Black or African American0.3% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 19
- Two or more races0.1% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gaytan
Gaytan 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
#2,460
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,647
+4,483 bearers (+44.1%)
Per 100,000 4.97
Rank movement Up 764 places
2020
#2,464
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,298
-349 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 4.78
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,224 | 10,164 | 3.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,460 | 14,647 | 4.97 | +4,483 bearers (+44.1%) | Up 764 places |
| 2020 | #2,464 | 14,298 | 4.78 | -349 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 4 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 Gaytan 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 | #2,460 | #2,464 | -0.2% |
| Count | 14,647 | 14,298 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.97 | 4.78 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gaytan bearers went from 14,647 to 14,298 (-2.4% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,460 to #2,464.
FAQ
Gaytan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gaytan?
Name Census estimates that about 16,396 living Americans carry the surname Gaytan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,905 residents.
How common is Gaytan?
Gaytan ranks #2,464 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,298 people with the surname Gaytan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,396), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Gaytan.
Has Gaytan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gaytan went from 14,647 recorded bearers to 14,298. That is a decrease of 349 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,460 to #2,464.
What does the Census say about the background of Gaytan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaytan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.1%. The next largest groups are White (4.3%) and Black (0.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gaytan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (13,593 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gaytan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.1%), White (4.3%), Black (0.3%). 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 Gaytan (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 Gaytan mean?
A Spanish surname derived from a place name meaning "place of the Goths" or "place of the Germans." 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 Gaytan (4.78 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 Gaytan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.