2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Geeck
A German surname derived from the word "geck" meaning a fool or jester.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Geeck. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Geeck 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Geeck in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Geeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Geeck
The surname Geeck has its origins in Germany, first appearing in records from the early 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "geck," which means "fool" or "jester." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who was considered foolish or entertaining.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Geeck surname can be found in the town of Nuremberg, where a man named Hans Geeck was listed in a tax register from 1534. In the following century, a Johann Geeck was recorded as a merchant in the city of Hamburg in 1671.
The name appears to have spread across various regions of Germany over the centuries, with records showing Geecks residing in places like Bavaria, Saxony, and Westphalia. Variations in spelling, such as Geck and Gek, were also common in historical documents.
A notable figure bearing the Geeck surname was Friedrich Wilhelm Geeck, a German composer and organist born in 1786 in Meiningen. He composed several works for the organ and was renowned for his skills as a performer.
Another individual of historical significance was Johann Wilhelm Geeck, born in 1802 in Celle. He was a prominent lawyer and served as the mayor of Celle from 1844 to 1868, playing a significant role in the city's administration during that time.
In the late 19th century, a man named Gustav Geeck (1854-1921) made a name for himself as a successful businessman in the textile industry. He established a successful company in Chemnitz, Saxony, which produced high-quality fabrics.
The Geeck surname also found its way into the academic world with Karl Friedrich Geeck, a professor of philosophy who lived from 1859 to 1936. He taught at several renowned universities in Germany and published numerous works on philosophical topics.
During the 20th century, a notable figure was Heinrich Geeck, born in 1892 in Cologne. He was a respected architect who designed several notable buildings in his hometown, including the Cologne Opera House and the Cologne City Hall extension.
While the Geeck surname may have originated as a nickname for someone considered foolish, it has since been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, from music and law to business and academia, across many regions of Germany over several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geeck
Among Census respondents with the surname Geeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Geeck 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 Geeck surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 91
- Two or more races4.9% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 4
- Black or African American2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Geeck
Geeck 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-3 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,783 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-14 bearers (-12.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,606 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 11,783 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.1%) | Down 11,606 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 Geeck 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 | #143,149 | #154,755 | -8.1% |
| Count | 116 | 102 | -12.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Geeck bearers went from 116 to 102 (-12.1% change). The surname moved down 11,606 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #154,755.
FAQ
Geeck surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Geeck?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Geeck. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Geeck?
Geeck ranks #154,755 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 102 people with the surname Geeck. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Geeck.
Has Geeck become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Geeck went from 116 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 14 (-12.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Geeck?
Among Census respondents with the surname Geeck, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Geeck in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Geeck appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Geeck (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 Geeck mean?
A German surname derived from the word "geck" meaning a fool or jester. 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 Geeck (0.03 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 common is the surname Geeck?
You can see how common the surname Geeck is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.