Find out how popular the last name Gehlbach is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gehlbach.

Gehlbach, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gehlbach surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gehlbach in America

Gehlbach is the 65782nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gehlbach surname appeared 301 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gehlbach.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gehlbach to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gehlbach

The surname GEHLBACH is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 16th century in the region of Bavaria. It is believed to have derived from a combination of the German words "Gehölz" meaning "forest" and "Bach" meaning "stream," potentially referring to a settlement near a forested stream or river.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 1589 tax records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, where a certain Hans Gehlbach is mentioned as a local resident. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region by the late 16th century.

In the 17th century, the name appears in various church records and municipal documents across Bavaria, indicating the gradual spread and establishment of the Gehlbach family throughout the region. For instance, a Johann Gehlbach is recorded as a landowner in the village of Unterrothbach near Nuremberg in 1642.

As the centuries progressed, the name continued to be found in various parts of Germany, with variations in spelling such as Gehlbach, Gehlbach, and Gehlbach emerging. One notable figure was Johann Friedrich Gehlbach (1719-1798), a renowned clockmaker and inventor from the town of Reutlingen in Württemberg.

In the 19th century, the Gehlbach name began to spread beyond Germany as some members of the family immigrated to other parts of the world. Jacob Gehlbach (1824-1891), for instance, was a German immigrant who settled in the United States and became a successful farmer in Ohio.

Another prominent individual with the surname was Karl Gehlbach (1868-1942), a German-American painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and portraiture. He was born in Niederroßbach, Hesse, and later immigrated to the United States, where he established himself as a respected artist.

While the Gehlbach name has its origins in Germany, it has since been carried to various parts of the world by those who have emigrated from their ancestral homeland. However, the name's linguistic roots and historical ties to the forested regions of Bavaria remain an integral part of its fascinating etymology.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gehlbach

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gehlbach.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gehlbach was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gehlbach has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gehlbach was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gehlbach, please contact us.

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