2000
#8,959
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,356
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Gebhart
A German occupational surname referring to a giver or donor, derived from the Middle High German word "gëbe."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,853 Americans carry the last name Gebhart. That puts it at #9,292 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 88,958 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gebhart 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
3.9K
1 in 88,958
Census rank
#9,292
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,360 bearers of the surname Gebhart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9292nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gebhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gebhart
The surname Gebhart has its origins in Germany, where it first emerged in the medieval period. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Gebhard, which is composed of the elements "geb" meaning "gift" and "hard" meaning "brave" or "hardy." The name therefore signifies "brave gift" or "hardy gift."
Gebhart is a variation of the more common German surname Gebhardt, which shares the same roots. The earliest recorded instances of the surname Gebhart can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of what is now modern-day Germany.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Gebhart von Hochstaden, a German nobleman who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. He served as the Archbishop of Cologne from 1218 until his death in 1238.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Gebhart von Blücher was a German knight and military commander who fought in the Hussite Wars against the Hussites in Bohemia. He was born around 1380 and died in 1450.
Another prominent individual with the surname Gebhart was Hans Gebhart, a German painter and engraver who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He was active in the city of Nuremberg and is known for his intricate woodcuts and engravings depicting religious and allegorical scenes.
In the 17th century, Johann Gebhart was a German philosopher and theologian who taught at the University of Giessen. He was born in 1592 and died in 1664, and his works focused on metaphysics and natural philosophy.
The surname Gebhart can also be found in various place names throughout Germany, such as Gebhartshain, a town in the state of Hesse, and Gebhartsdorf, a village in Saxony-Anhalt. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the surname Gebhart who lived in or were associated with these locations.
While the surname Gebhart is relatively rare compared to its variant Gebhardt, it has a rich history and significance rooted in the German language and culture, reflecting the bravery and fortitude associated with its original meaning.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gebhart
Among Census respondents with the surname Gebhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gebhart 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 Gebhart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 3,127
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 94
- Two or more races2.7% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 23
- Black or African American0.4% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gebhart
Gebhart 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
#9,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,367
+11 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 679 places
2020
#9,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,360
-7 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 1.12
Rank movement Up 346 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,959 | 3,356 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,638 | 3,367 | 1.14 | +11 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 679 places |
| 2020 | #9,292 | 3,360 | 1.12 | -7 bearers (-0.2%) | Up 346 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 Gebhart 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 | #9,638 | #9,292 | 3.6% |
| Count | 3,367 | 3,360 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.12 | -1.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gebhart bearers went from 3,367 to 3,360 (-0.2% change). The surname moved up 346 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,638 to #9,292.
FAQ
Gebhart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gebhart?
Name Census estimates that about 3,853 living Americans carry the surname Gebhart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 88,958 residents.
How common is Gebhart?
Gebhart ranks #9,292 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.12 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 3,360 people with the surname Gebhart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,853), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.12 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 Gebhart.
Has Gebhart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gebhart went from 3,367 recorded bearers to 3,360. That is a decrease of 7 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,638 to #9,292.
What does the Census say about the background of Gebhart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gebhart, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Gebhart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (3,127 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gebhart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Gebhart (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 Gebhart mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a giver or donor, derived from the Middle High German word "gëbe." 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 Gebhart (1.12 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 Gebhart?
You can see how common the surname Gebhart is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.