2000
#22,481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,068
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.40
Rare Last name
Gehrig
A German surname derived from a topographic name referring to an enclosure or fenced area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,234 Americans carry the last name Gehrig. That puts it at #24,261 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 277,759 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gehrig 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
1.2K
1 in 277,759
Census rank
#24,261
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,076 bearers of the surname Gehrig in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24261st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gehrig, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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In the 15th century, the name Gehrig appeared in the Bern Shaking Book, a historical document that recorded the names of citizens who swore allegiance to the city of Bern, Switzerland.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gehrig
Among Census respondents with the surname Gehrig, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gehrig 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 Gehrig surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 995
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 48
- Two or more races2.2% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gehrig
Gehrig 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
#22,573
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,138
+70 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.39
Rank movement Down 92 places
2020
#24,261
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,076
-62 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Down 1,688 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,481 | 1,068 | 0.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #22,573 | 1,138 | 0.39 | +70 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 92 places |
| 2020 | #24,261 | 1,076 | 0.36 | -62 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 1,688 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 Gehrig 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 | #22,573 | #24,261 | -7.5% |
| Count | 1,138 | 1,076 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.39 | 0.36 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gehrig bearers went from 1,138 to 1,076 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 1,688 positions in the national ranking, going from #22,573 to #24,261.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gehrig
FAQ
Gehrig surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gehrig?
Name Census estimates that about 1,234 living Americans carry the surname Gehrig. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 277,759 residents.
How common is Gehrig?
Gehrig ranks #24,261 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.36 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 1,076 people with the surname Gehrig. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,234), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.36 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 Gehrig.
Has Gehrig become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gehrig went from 1,138 recorded bearers to 1,076. That is a decrease of 62 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #22,573 to #24,261.
What does the Census say about the background of Gehrig?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gehrig, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Gehrig in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (995 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gehrig appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Gehrig (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 Gehrig mean?
A German surname derived from a topographic name referring to an enclosure or fenced area. 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 Gehrig (0.36 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 have the surname Gehrig?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.