Gersbach last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Gersbach

A habitational name referring to someone from a place called Gersbach, of German origin.

Gersbach, 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 Gersbach surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gersbach in America

Gersbach is the 77788th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gersbach surname appeared 246 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gersbach.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gersbach 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.

20102000Change (%)
Rank77788724667.08%
Count246250-1.61%
Proportion per 100k0.080.09-11.76%

The history of the last name Gersbach

The surname Gersbach is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the German state of Baden-Württemberg, specifically from the town of Gernsbach, which lies along the banks of the Murg River.

The name Gersbach is a locative surname, derived from the place name Gernsbach. This type of surname emerged during the medieval period when it became necessary to distinguish individuals from different locations or regions. The prefix "Gern" is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "ger," meaning "spear," while the suffix "-bach" refers to a small stream or brook.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gersbach can be found in the "Codex Hirsaugiensis," a medieval manuscript from the Hirsau Abbey in the Black Forest region of Germany, dating back to the 12th century. This document mentions a certain "Conradus de Gernesbach," indicating the presence of the name in the area during that time.

In the 16th century, the name Gersbach appears in the "Ortsbücher" (local registers) of the Margraviate of Baden, a historical territory within the Holy Roman Empire. These records document individuals bearing the name, such as Hans Gersbach, a farmer from the village of Gernsbach, who lived in the early 1500s.

Notable figures with the surname Gersbach include Johann Gersbach (1518-1586), a German Protestant theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation movement in the Palatinate region. Another prominent individual was Matthias Gersbach (1624-1684), a German painter and engraver known for his religious and historical works.

In the 19th century, the name Gersbach gained prominence in the field of music with the birth of Josef Gersbach (1834-1906), an Austrian composer and conductor who served as the Kapellmeister (music director) at the Vienna Court Opera.

Lastly, in the field of literature, one can find the name Gersbach associated with Liselotte Gersbach (1915-2003), a Swiss author and poet who wrote numerous works in the German language, including novels, short stories, and poetry collections.

While the surname Gersbach may have evolved and spread to various parts of the world over time, its origins can be traced back to the picturesque town of Gernsbach in southwestern Germany, where it first emerged as a locative surname during the medieval era.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gersbach

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

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 Gersbach was:

Race/EthnicityPercentageTotal Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only96.75%238
Non-Hispanic Black Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only(S)%(S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races(S)%(S)
Hispanic Origin(S)%(S)

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 Gersbach has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

20102000Change (%)
White96.75%98.80%-2.10%
Black(S)%0.00%(S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander(S)%(S)%(S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.00%0.00%0.00%
Two or More Races(S)%0.00%(S)%
Hispanic(S)%(S)%(S)%

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

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

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