2000
#5,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,724
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.12
Rare Last name
Geist
A German surname meaning "spirit" or "ghost," likely referring to a person with an otherworldly or mysterious character.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,322 Americans carry the last name Geist. That puts it at #6,008 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,216 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Geist 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
6.3K
1 in 54,216
Census rank
#6,008
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,513 bearers of the surname Geist in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6008th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Geist, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Geist
The surname Geist has its origins in Germany, where it first appeared in the early 13th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "geist," which means "spirit" or "ghost." The name likely originated as a nickname for someone who exhibited eccentric or otherworldly behavior.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Geist surname can be found in the municipal records of the city of Cologne, where a certain Heinrich Geist is mentioned in 1284. During the 14th and 15th centuries, variations of the name, such as Geyst and Gheist, were also documented in various parts of Germany.
In the 16th century, the Geist name appeared in several historical documents, including the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, which contains charters and deeds from the region of Brandenburg. Here, a Johannes Geist is mentioned in relation to a land transaction in 1532.
The Geist surname has been associated with notable figures throughout history. One such individual was Johann Geist (1532-1598), a German Lutheran theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation in Saxony. Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Friedrich Geist (1756-1794), a German poet and writer who was part of the Sturm und Drang literary movement.
In the 19th century, the name Geist gained further prominence with individuals like Wilhelm Geist (1808-1868), a German philosopher and writer who made significant contributions to the field of aesthetics. Additionally, there was Karl Geist (1859-1935), a German architect who designed several notable buildings in Berlin and other cities.
Another noteworthy bearer of the Geist surname was Gustav Geist (1879-1943), a German politician who served as a member of the Reichstag during the Weimar Republic. He was also a vocal opponent of the Nazi regime and was eventually imprisoned in a concentration camp.
Throughout history, the Geist surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Geistingen, a town in the German state of Hesse, and Geistfeld, a municipality in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. These place names likely derived from the surname itself or from the Old High German word "geist."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geist
Among Census respondents with the surname Geist, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Geist 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 Geist surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 5,071
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 182
- Two or more races3.2% · 179
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 44
- Black or African American0.5% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Geist
Geist 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
#5,802
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,966
+242 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.02
Rank movement Down 234 places
2020
#6,008
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,513
-453 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Down 206 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,568 | 5,724 | 2.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,802 | 5,966 | 2.02 | +242 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 234 places |
| 2020 | #6,008 | 5,513 | 1.84 | -453 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 206 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 Geist 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 | #5,802 | #6,008 | -3.6% |
| Count | 5,966 | 5,513 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.02 | 1.84 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Geist bearers went from 5,966 to 5,513 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 206 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,802 to #6,008.
FAQ
Geist surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Geist?
Name Census estimates that about 6,322 living Americans carry the surname Geist. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,216 residents.
How common is Geist?
Geist ranks #6,008 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,513 people with the surname Geist. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,322), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Geist.
Has Geist become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Geist went from 5,966 recorded bearers to 5,513. That is a decrease of 453 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,802 to #6,008.
What does the Census say about the background of Geist?
Among Census respondents with the surname Geist, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Geist in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (5,071 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Geist appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Geist (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 Geist mean?
A German surname meaning "spirit" or "ghost," likely referring to a person with an otherworldly or mysterious character. 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 Geist (1.84 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 Geist?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.