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

Gentner, 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 Gentner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gentner in America

Gentner is the 14651st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gentner surname appeared 2,031 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 Gentner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gentner 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 Gentner

The surname Gentner is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia. It is thought to have derived from the German words "gans" meaning "goose" and "ner" meaning "keeper" or "tender." Thus, the name Gentner likely referred to someone who raised or tended geese.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gentner can be found in the Wörterbuch der deutschen Familiennamen, a dictionary of German surnames, which mentions a Gentner family living in the town of Weissenhorn in Bavaria in the 15th century.

In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Gentner was Christoph Gentner, a German mathematician and astronomer born in Nürnberg in 1527. He is known for his work on calculating the motion of planets and his contributions to the development of trigonometry.

Another historical figure with the Gentner surname was Johann Gentner, a German pastor and theologian who lived in the 17th century. He was born in Bamberg in 1610 and is known for his writings on religious topics and his work as a minister in various churches in Bavaria.

In the 18th century, a prominent individual with the Gentner name was Johann Georg Gentner, a German painter and engraver who was born in Augsburg in 1717. He was known for his religious paintings and his work as a printmaker, creating engravings for books and other publications.

A more recent historical figure with the Gentner surname was Erwin Gentner, a German physicist and engineer who was born in Schwäbisch Gmünd in 1876. He is known for his work on high-voltage engineering and his contributions to the development of X-ray technology.

While the surname Gentner is primarily associated with Germany, it can also be found in other parts of Europe and around the world due to historical migration patterns. However, its roots and earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the regions of Bavaria and Swabia in Germany.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gentner

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

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

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

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