2000
#6,274
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,001
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.85
Rare Last name
Gebhardt
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements geb, meaning "gift," and hart, meaning "hardy, brave, strong."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,582 Americans carry the last name Gebhardt. That puts it at #6,670 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 61,404 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gebhardt 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
5.6K
1 in 61,404
Census rank
#6,670
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,868 bearers of the surname Gebhardt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6670th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gebhardt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gebhardt
The surname Gebhardt is of German origin, originating in the Middle Ages around the 12th century. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Gebehard, which is composed of the elements "geb" meaning "gift" and "hart" meaning "brave" or "hardy". This name was particularly popular in southern Germany and Austria.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Gebhardt can be found in medieval records and documents from the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in southern Germany. One notable early bearer of the name was Gebhart von Hochstaden, who lived in the late 12th century and served as the Archbishop of Cologne from 1192 to 1205.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name Gebhardt appeared in various spellings, such as Gebhart, Gebhart, and Gephart, in various town and village records throughout southern Germany and Austria. It was also found in some early census records and tax rolls from that period.
In the 15th century, the name Gebhardt was associated with several notable figures. One of them was Johann Gebhardt, a German painter and engraver who lived from around 1420 to 1490 and was known for his religious works depicting scenes from the Bible.
Another notable bearer of the name was Hans Gebhardt, a German printer and publisher who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was active in Nuremberg and printed several important works, including books by the humanist scholar Willibald Pirckheimer.
In the 16th century, the name Gebhardt was associated with the German theologian and reformer Caspar Gebhardt (1564-1628), who played a significant role in the early days of the Protestant Reformation in Germany.
As the surname spread across Europe, it also appeared in various forms in other languages. For example, in France, it was sometimes written as Gebhart or Gebart, while in the Netherlands, it could be found as Gebhardt or Gebhart.
Throughout its history, the surname Gebhardt has been borne by numerous individuals, including scholars, artists, religious figures, and professionals from various fields. Its origins can be traced back to the Middle Ages in southern Germany, where it emerged as a personal name reflecting the ideals of bravery and generosity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gebhardt
Among Census respondents with the surname Gebhardt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gebhardt 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 Gebhardt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 4,438
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 202
- Two or more races3.0% · 145
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 45
- Black or African American0.5% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gebhardt
Gebhardt 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
#6,771
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,981
-20 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 1.69
Rank movement Down 497 places
2020
#6,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,868
-113 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.63
Rank movement Up 101 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,274 | 5,001 | 1.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,771 | 4,981 | 1.69 | -20 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 497 places |
| 2020 | #6,670 | 4,868 | 1.63 | -113 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 101 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 Gebhardt 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 | #6,771 | #6,670 | 1.5% |
| Count | 4,981 | 4,868 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.69 | 1.63 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gebhardt bearers went from 4,981 to 4,868 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 101 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,771 to #6,670.
FAQ
Gebhardt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gebhardt?
Name Census estimates that about 5,582 living Americans carry the surname Gebhardt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 61,404 residents.
How common is Gebhardt?
Gebhardt ranks #6,670 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.63 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,868 people with the surname Gebhardt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,582), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.63 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gebhardt.
Has Gebhardt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gebhardt went from 4,981 recorded bearers to 4,868. That is a decrease of 113 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,771 to #6,670.
What does the Census say about the background of Gebhardt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gebhardt, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Gebhardt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (4,438 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gebhardt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Gebhardt (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 Gebhardt mean?
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements geb, meaning "gift," and hart, meaning "hardy, brave, strong." 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 Gebhardt (1.63 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 are called Gebhardt?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Gebhardt on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.