2000
#2,033
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,348
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.06
Uncommon Last name
Gerber
An occupational surname referring to a tanner or dresser of animal skins, derived from the German word "gerben".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,766 Americans carry the last name Gerber. That puts it at #2,161 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.48 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,265 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gerber 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gerber with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,265
Census rank
#2,161
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,365 bearers of the surname Gerber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.48 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2161st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerber, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gerber
The surname Gerber originates from Germany, where it first appeared in the medieval period. It is derived from the Middle High German word "gerwe," which referred to a tanner or leather worker. The name likely emerged as an occupational surname, given to individuals who worked in the tanning or leather trade.
The earliest known record of the name Gerber dates back to the 13th century in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located in the Franconia region of Germany. In 1275, a document mentions a "Cunradus Gerwer," which is believed to be an early spelling variation of the surname.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Gerber was Hans Gerber, a 15th-century Swiss military leader and politician. He served as the mayor of Bern and played a crucial role in the Old Zurich War between the Swiss Confederacy and the Duchy of Austria.
In the 16th century, the Gerber family gained prominence in the city of Nuremberg, where they were influential merchants and members of the city's patrician class. Johann Gerber (1500-1570) was a prominent merchant and councilor in Nuremberg during this time.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and their holdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any reference to the surname Gerber. This suggests that the name did not have a significant presence in England during the Norman period.
Another notable figure with the surname Gerber was Johann Gerber (1591-1666), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of the Prince-Abbot of Fulda in central Germany.
In the 18th century, Johann Sebastian Gerber (1738-1795) was a German lexicographer and music theorist. He is best known for his "Historisch-Biographisches Lexikon der Tonkünstler" (Historical-Biographical Dictionary of Musicians), a significant early work in the field of music biography.
The 19th century saw the rise of Adolf Gerber (1834-1914), a German politician and lawyer who served as the Minister of Justice for the Kingdom of Saxony from 1893 to 1901.
One of the most renowned individuals with the surname Gerber was Rudolph Gerber (1886-1950), an Austrian-American architect who played a significant role in the development of the Art Deco architectural style in the United States. He designed several iconic buildings in New York City, including the Barbizon Plaza Hotel and the McGraw-Hill Building.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gerber
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerber, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gerber 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 Gerber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 15,062
- Two or more races3.3% · 532
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 507
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 133
- Black or African American0.5% · 89
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 42
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gerber
Gerber 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
#2,170
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,732
+384 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 5.67
Rank movement Down 137 places
2020
#2,161
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,365
-367 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 5.48
Rank movement Up 9 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,033 | 16,348 | 6.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,170 | 16,732 | 5.67 | +384 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 137 places |
| 2020 | #2,161 | 16,365 | 5.48 | -367 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 9 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 Gerber 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 | #2,170 | #2,161 | 0.4% |
| Count | 16,732 | 16,365 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 5.67 | 5.48 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gerber bearers went from 16,732 to 16,365 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 9 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,170 to #2,161.
FAQ
Gerber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gerber?
Name Census estimates that about 18,766 living Americans carry the surname Gerber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,265 residents.
How common is Gerber?
Gerber ranks #2,161 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.48 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,365 people with the surname Gerber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,766), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.48 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.48 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Gerber.
Has Gerber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gerber went from 16,732 recorded bearers to 16,365. That is a decrease of 367 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,170 to #2,161.
What does the Census say about the background of Gerber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerber, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Gerber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (15,062 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gerber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Gerber (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 Gerber mean?
An occupational surname referring to a tanner or dresser of animal skins, derived from the German word "gerben". 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 Gerber (5.48 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 last name Gerber?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Gerber, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.