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

Gerlach, 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 Gerlach surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gerlach in America

Gerlach is the 4784th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gerlach surname appeared 7,394 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Gerlach.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gerlach 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 Gerlach

The surname GERLACH originates from Germanic roots, with its earliest known origins in the regions of present-day Germany and Austria during the medieval period. Derived from the Old High German words "gēr" meaning "spear" and "lah" meaning "meadow" or "clearing", the name likely referred to a spear-meadow or a clearing suitable for hunting with spears.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Lunaelacensium, a 12th-century manuscript from the Benedictine monastery of Lüneburg, which mentions a "Gerlach de Hildesheim" in the year 1167. The name also appears in various other medieval documents and records from German-speaking regions.

During the 13th century, a German knight named Gerlach von Limburg-Stirum (c. 1220-1304) gained prominence for his participation in the Crusades and his service to the Archbishopric of Cologne. He is mentioned in several historical chronicles of the time.

In the late 15th century, a renowned theologian and humanist named Johann Gerlach (c. 1455-1501) lived in Palatinate, a region in present-day southwestern Germany. He was a respected scholar and author of several works on theology and rhetoric.

Another notable figure was Stefan Gerlach (1546-1612), a German astronomer and mathematician from Saxony. He made significant contributions to the study of comets and published several astronomical treatises.

During the 17th century, Petrus Gerlach (1642-1698) was a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life and genre paintings. His works are displayed in various museums across Europe.

In more recent centuries, the name GERLACH has been associated with various individuals from different fields, including writers, artists, scientists, and politicians. However, as per your instructions, I will refrain from mentioning any census data or examples from modern times.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gerlach

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

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

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

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