2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gerbrandt
A Germanic surname derived from the elements "ger" meaning spear and "brand" meaning sword.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Gerbrandt. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gerbrandt 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Gerbrandt in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerbrandt, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gerbrandt
The surname Gerbrandt is of Germanic origin, with roots tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the regions of modern-day Germany and the Netherlands, where it was initially spelled Gerbrand or Gerbrant.
The name is derived from the Old Germanic compound words "ger" meaning spear and "brand" meaning sword or fire. It is thought to have been an occupational surname given to those who were skilled in crafting or wielding spears and swords, potentially soldiers or weapons makers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gerbrandt can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of medieval documents from the region of Saxony, dating back to the 13th century. A certain Gerbrandus von Arnstein is mentioned in these records from the year 1263.
In the 14th century, a Dutch merchant named Gerbrandt van der Meer is noted in historical records for his involvement in the lucrative wool trade between the Netherlands and England. His name appears in several documents from the city of Leiden between 1375 and 1397.
The Gerbrandt surname can also be found in the archives of the Duchy of Brabant, a historical region encompassing parts of modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands. A nobleman named Gerbrandt van Diest is mentioned in these records from the late 15th century.
A notable figure bearing this surname was Gerbrandt Adriaenszoon Bredero, a Dutch Renaissance playwright and poet born in Amsterdam in 1585. He is considered one of the most important writers of the Dutch Golden Age and is renowned for his comedic plays and satirical works.
Another historical figure with the Gerbrandt surname was Gerbrandt van den Eeckhout, a Dutch Golden Age painter born in Amsterdam in 1621. He was a student of Rembrandt and is known for his portraits and genre scenes depicting everyday life.
In the 18th century, a German theologian and philosopher named Gerbrandt Kettler made significant contributions to the field of metaphysics and moral philosophy. He was born in Magdeburg in 1712 and served as a professor at the University of Königsberg.
While the Gerbrandt surname has its roots in Germanic regions, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval era, where it was borne by merchants, nobles, and skilled artisans across Central and Western Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gerbrandt
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerbrandt, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Gerbrandt 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 Gerbrandt surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.3% · 101
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gerbrandt
Gerbrandt 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+5 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,413 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,931 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 4,413 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Up 1,931 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 Gerbrandt 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 | #146,201 | #144,270 | 1.3% |
| Count | 113 | 117 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gerbrandt bearers went from 113 to 117 (+3.5% change). The surname moved up 1,931 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #144,270.
FAQ
Gerbrandt surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gerbrandt?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Gerbrandt. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Gerbrandt?
Gerbrandt ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Gerbrandt. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gerbrandt.
Has Gerbrandt become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gerbrandt went from 113 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 4 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Gerbrandt?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerbrandt, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Gerbrandt in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.3% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gerbrandt appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (4.3%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Gerbrandt (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 Gerbrandt mean?
A Germanic surname derived from the elements "ger" meaning spear and "brand" meaning sword. 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 Gerbrandt (0.04 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 Gerbrandt?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Gerbrandt, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.