2000
#11,705
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,455
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.91
Rare Last name
Gephart
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "gebur," meaning peasant or neighbor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,782 Americans carry the last name Gephart. That puts it at #12,249 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,204 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gephart 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
2.8K
1 in 123,204
Census rank
#12,249
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,426 bearers of the surname Gephart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12249th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gephart, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gephart
The surname Gephart originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, likely in the areas that are now modern-day Germany and Switzerland. It is believed to have derived from the Germanic personal name Gebhart, which was composed of the elements "geb" meaning "gift" and "hart" meaning "brave" or "hardy". This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who was considered a brave or hardy gift.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gephart can be found in the 13th century, when a man named Gebhart von Burghausen was mentioned in a local record from the town of Burghausen in Bavaria. This indicates that the name was present in that region during the Middle Ages.
In the 14th century, a notable individual named Heinrich Gephart was a respected merchant and guild member in the city of Nuremberg. His name appears in several official documents from that time, demonstrating the presence of the surname in urban centers of medieval Germany.
As the name spread across German-speaking regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Gebhart, Gebhardt, and Geppert. These different forms can be found in various historical records and documents from the 15th and 16th centuries.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name in Switzerland was Hans Gebhart, who was born in the town of Schaffhausen in the late 15th century. He was a prominent citizen and served as a local official, demonstrating the presence of the name in the Swiss Confederacy during that era.
In the 17th century, a German scholar and theologian named Johann Gebhard Gephart made significant contributions to the field of religious studies. He was born in 1624 in the town of Herborn and published several influential works during his lifetime.
Another notable individual with the surname Gephart was Friedrich Gephart, a German military officer who served in the Prussian army during the 18th century. He was born in 1712 and achieved the rank of Major General, participating in several important campaigns and battles of his time.
In the 19th century, a German-American immigrant named Johann Jakob Gephart settled in Pennsylvania, where he became a successful farmer and landowner. He was born in 1811 in the region of Palatinate, Germany, before immigrating to the United States in the mid-1800s.
Throughout its history, the surname Gephart has been associated with various occupations and professions, from merchants and scholars to military leaders and landowners. While its origins can be traced back to the German-speaking regions of Europe, the name has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gephart
Among Census respondents with the surname Gephart, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gephart 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 Gephart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.2% · 2,164
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 117
- Two or more races3.8% · 93
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 19
- Black or African American0.5% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gephart
Gephart 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
#12,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,579
+124 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 378 places
2020
#12,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,426
-153 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 166 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,705 | 2,455 | 0.91 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,083 | 2,579 | 0.87 | +124 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 378 places |
| 2020 | #12,249 | 2,426 | 0.81 | -153 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 166 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 Gephart 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 | #12,083 | #12,249 | -1.4% |
| Count | 2,579 | 2,426 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.81 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gephart bearers went from 2,579 to 2,426 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 166 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,083 to #12,249.
FAQ
Gephart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gephart?
Name Census estimates that about 2,782 living Americans carry the surname Gephart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,204 residents.
How common is Gephart?
Gephart ranks #12,249 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,426 people with the surname Gephart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,782), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gephart.
Has Gephart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gephart went from 2,579 recorded bearers to 2,426. That is a decrease of 153 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,083 to #12,249.
What does the Census say about the background of Gephart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gephart, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.8%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Gephart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.2% (2,164 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gephart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.2%), Hispanic (4.8%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Gephart (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 Gephart mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "gebur," meaning peasant or neighbor. 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 Gephart (0.81 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 are called Gephart?
You can see how many people have the last name Gephart on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.