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

Gehrig, 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 Gehrig surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gehrig in America

Gehrig is the 22573rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gehrig surname appeared 1,138 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 Gehrig.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gehrig 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 Gehrig

The surname Gehrig is of German origin, derived from the medieval personal name Gerhard or Gerrard, which means "hardy, strong, brave". The name emerged in the 9th or 10th century in the regions of modern-day Germany and Switzerland.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Gehrig can be found in medieval German records and documents, often appearing as variations such as Gehrig, Gehrich, Gehrike, or Gehrick. These variations likely originated from regional dialects and differences in spelling conventions during that time period.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Ulrich Gehrig, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany, in the late 13th century. Records from the Rothenburg town archives mention him as a influential figure in local affairs.

In the 15th century, the name Gehrig appeared in the Bern Shaking Book, a historical document that recorded the names of citizens who swore allegiance to the city of Bern, Switzerland. This suggests that the name had spread to Swiss territories by that time.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Gehrig was associated with several notable individuals, including Johann Gehrig (1523-1596), a German theologian and writer, and Hans Gehrig (1631-1712), a Swiss watchmaker and inventor who is credited with developing one of the earliest pocket watches.

Another famous bearer of the name was Lou Gehrig (1903-1941), an American baseball player who played for the New York Yankees and is considered one of the greatest first basemen in the history of the sport. He held several records, including the streak of playing in 2,130 consecutive games, and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1939.

Other historical figures with the surname Gehrig include Wilhelm Gehrig (1837-1919), a German architect and urban planner who designed several iconic buildings in Berlin, and Johann Gehrig (1855-1932), a Swiss politician and member of the Swiss Federal Council.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gehrig

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

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 Gehrig 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 Gehrig 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 Gehrig was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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