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

Gellenbeck, 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 Gellenbeck surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gellenbeck in America

Gellenbeck is the 98099th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gellenbeck surname appeared 185 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 Gellenbeck.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gellenbeck 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 Gellenbeck

The surname Gellenbeck is of Germanic origin, hailing from regions in what is now modern-day Germany. It emerged during the Middle Ages, likely between the 11th and 13th centuries. The name is believed to be derived from the Old German words "gellan," meaning "to yell or shout," and "beck," referring to a small stream or brook. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a noisy or loud stream.

One of the earliest known references to the Gellenbeck name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony. In this manuscript, dated around 1220, a landowner named Hermann Gellenbeck is mentioned in relation to a property transaction.

In the 14th century, records from the town of Münster in Westphalia mention a family with the name Gellenbeck. These records indicate that they were prominent citizens and landowners in the area. One notable member of this family was Johann Gellenbeck (c. 1350 - 1412), who served as a magistrate and was involved in local governance.

By the 16th century, the Gellenbeck name had spread to other parts of Germany, and variations in spelling began to appear. In the city of Cologne, a merchant named Henrich Gellenbeck (c. 1510 - 1578) was noted for his successful trading business and philanthropic contributions to the local community.

In the 17th century, a prominent figure with the Gellenbeck name was Johannes Gellenbeck (1633 - 1703), a Lutheran theologian and scholar. He authored several influential works on theology and served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.

Another notable Gellenbeck was Wilhelmina Gellenbeck (1755 - 1828), a writer and poet from the region of Saxony. Her collection of poems, titled "Blumen des Lebens" (Flowers of Life), was widely acclaimed and contributed to the development of German Romantic literature.

Throughout its history, the Gellenbeck name has been associated with various professions, including landowners, merchants, scholars, and artists. While the name has maintained its Germanic roots, it has also spread to other parts of Europe and beyond through migration and cultural exchange.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gellenbeck

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!