2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gehlsen
An occupational surname with Germanic origins referring to a farm worker or laborer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Gehlsen. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gehlsen 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Gehlsen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gehlsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gehlsen
The surname GEHLSEN originated in the northern German state of Lower Saxony. It is derived from the Low German words "gehle" meaning "yellow" and "sen" meaning "son". Therefore, the name GEHLSEN literally translates to "son of the yellow one". This likely referred to someone with blond or yellow hair or possibly a nickname for someone with a yellowish complexion.
The earliest recorded spelling of the surname was Ghelzun, found in tax records from the town of Oldenburg in 1327. Over time, the spelling evolved to Ghelzen, Gellsen, and eventually to the modern GEHLSEN form used today. Variations like Gellesen and Gellzen were also common in medieval records from the region.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname was Hans Gehlsen, a farmer who lived in the village of Wittmund in East Frisia around 1450. The GEHLSEN name appears in several local church records and land deeds from the 15th and 16th centuries in towns like Jever, Varel, and Westerstede.
In 1589, Claus Gehlsen was listed as a master baker in the city of Bremen's guild rolls. A decade later in 1599, records show a Gerd Gehlsen working as a merchant and ship owner based in the port town of Emden.
During the 1700s, the GEHLSEN name spread further throughout northwestern Germany. Notable individuals include Johann Gehlsen (1712-1787), a respected theologian and pastor in Aurich, and his son Gottfried Gehlsen (1747-1826), who served as a judge in the same town.
As the 19th century began, Johann Friedrich Gehlsen (1806-1873) gained renown as a pioneer of modern dairy farming techniques in Holstein. His published works on cattle breeding and milk production were widely read across northern Europe at the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gehlsen
Among Census respondents with the surname Gehlsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Gehlsen 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 Gehlsen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 117
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gehlsen
Gehlsen 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
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
+3 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 5,707 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-18 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,505 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | +3 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 5,707 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 17,505 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 Gehlsen 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 | #126,765 | #144,270 | -13.8% |
| Count | 135 | 117 | -13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gehlsen bearers went from 135 to 117 (-13.3% change). The surname moved down 17,505 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #144,270.
FAQ
Gehlsen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gehlsen?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Gehlsen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Gehlsen?
Gehlsen ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 117 people with the surname Gehlsen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Gehlsen.
Has Gehlsen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gehlsen went from 135 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 18 (-13.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,765 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Gehlsen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gehlsen, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Gehlsen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gehlsen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Gehlsen (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 Gehlsen mean?
An occupational surname with Germanic origins referring to a farm worker or laborer. 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 Gehlsen (0.04 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 Gehlsen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.