2000
#5,860
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,413
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.01
Rare Last name
Gerdes
A German occupational surname referring to a gardener or orchard keeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,301 Americans carry the last name Gerdes. That puts it at #6,018 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,397 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gerdes 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
6.3K
1 in 54,397
Census rank
#6,018
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,495 bearers of the surname Gerdes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6018th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerdes, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gerdes
The surname Gerdes is of German origin and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have originated in the Lower Saxony region of northern Germany, where it was derived from the Old German personal name Gerhard or Gerard, meaning "strong with a spear".
The earliest recorded instance of the name Gerdes can be found in the Bremisches Urkundenbuch, a collection of historical documents from the city of Bremen, dating back to 1260. In these records, a merchant named Gerhard Gerdes is mentioned in a trade agreement.
During the Middle Ages, the name Gerdes was particularly prevalent in the rural areas surrounding the towns of Stade and Buxtehude, along the Elbe River. It is likely that the name was initially associated with farming communities in these regions.
In the 16th century, the name Gerdes appeared in several chronicles and tax records from the city of Hamburg. One notable example is the merchant Johann Gerdes, who was a prominent member of the Hamburg Merchants' Guild in the late 1500s.
As the name spread throughout northern Germany, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Gerdts, Gerdes, Gerdes, and Gerdsen. These variations were often influenced by local dialects and regional pronunciations.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Gerdes was Hans Gerdes, a German painter who lived in the 15th century. His works can be found in various churches and museums throughout northern Germany.
In the 17th century, the name gained recognition through the works of Johann Gerdes, a Lutheran theologian and historian who was born in 1663 in the town of Verden. His most notable work, "Historia Reformationis," chronicled the history of the Protestant Reformation.
Another notable figure with the surname Gerdes was Johann Georg Gerdes, a German composer and organist born in 1699 in the city of Quedlinburg. He composed several church cantatas and organ works that were widely performed during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, the name Gerdes was associated with several prominent figures in the field of education. One such individual was Friedrich Gerdes, a German educator and author who was born in 1807 in the town of Aurich. He wrote several influential books on teaching methods and educational reform.
Throughout history, the surname Gerdes has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artists, scholars, musicians, and businessmen. While its origins can be traced back to northern Germany, the name has since spread to other parts of Europe and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gerdes
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerdes, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gerdes 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 Gerdes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 4,959
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 201
- Two or more races3.1% · 173
- Black or African American1.7% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 48
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gerdes
Gerdes 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
#5,821
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,940
+527 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 2.01
Rank movement Up 39 places
2020
#6,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,495
-445 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Down 197 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,860 | 5,413 | 2.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,821 | 5,940 | 2.01 | +527 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 39 places |
| 2020 | #6,018 | 5,495 | 1.84 | -445 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 197 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 Gerdes 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 | #5,821 | #6,018 | -3.4% |
| Count | 5,940 | 5,495 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.01 | 1.84 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gerdes bearers went from 5,940 to 5,495 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 197 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,821 to #6,018.
FAQ
Gerdes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gerdes?
Name Census estimates that about 6,301 living Americans carry the surname Gerdes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,397 residents.
How common is Gerdes?
Gerdes ranks #6,018 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,495 people with the surname Gerdes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,301), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gerdes.
Has Gerdes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gerdes went from 5,940 recorded bearers to 5,495. That is a decrease of 445 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,821 to #6,018.
What does the Census say about the background of Gerdes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerdes, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Gerdes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (4,959 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gerdes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (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 Gerdes (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 Gerdes mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a gardener or orchard keeper. 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 Gerdes (1.84 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 surname Gerdes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.