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

Gehringer, 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 Gehringer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gehringer in America

Gehringer is the 18685th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gehringer surname appeared 1,471 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gehringer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gehringer 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 Gehringer

The surname Gehringer is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the 14th century in the region of Bavaria. It is believed to have derived from the German word "gehren," meaning "to desire" or "to crave," suggesting that the name may have initially referred to an individual with a strong desire or passion.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gehringer surname can be found in the Nuremberg City Archives, where a certain Hans Gehringer was mentioned in a document dated 1387. This document suggests that the name was already well-established in the region during that time period.

In the 16th century, the Gehringer name appeared in various records across southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Franconia and Swabia. One notable example is Johann Gehringer, a scholar and theologian born in Nuremberg in 1516, who later became a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation movement.

The Gehringer surname is also associated with several place names in Germany, such as Gehringerhof and Gehringerberg, which likely originated from individuals bearing the name who settled in those areas or established settlements there.

One of the most famous individuals with the Gehringer surname was Charlie Gehringer, an American baseball player born in 1903 in Fowlerville, Michigan. Gehringer played for the Detroit Tigers from 1924 to 1942 and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1949, widely regarded as one of the greatest second basemen in the history of the game.

Another notable individual was Johann Gehringer, a German sculptor and woodcarver active in the 16th century. His works can be found in various churches and cathedrals across southern Germany, including the Regensburg Cathedral and the St. Lorenz Church in Nuremberg.

In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the Gehringer name was Wilhelm Gehringer, a German painter and illustrator born in 1829 in Munich. He was known for his landscapes and genre paintings, many of which depicted scenes from rural Bavarian life.

The Gehringer surname can also be found in historical records from other regions of Europe, such as Austria and Switzerland, suggesting that individuals bearing the name may have migrated to these areas over time, potentially due to economic or political reasons.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gehringer

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

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

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

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