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

Gerstner, 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 Gerstner surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gerstner in America

Gerstner is the 14604th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gerstner surname appeared 2,038 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gerstner.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gerstner 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 Gerstner

The surname Gerstner originated in Germany, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the German word "Gerste," which means "barley," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who worked with or grew barley.

In medieval Germany, surnames often arose from occupations, locations, or personal characteristics, and Gerstner likely originated as an occupational surname for someone involved in the barley trade or cultivation. The name may have been initially spelled as "Gerstener" or "Gerstner," with the latter spelling becoming more prevalent over time.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gerstner can be found in the 1295 Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg. In this record, a person named "Conradus Gerstener" is mentioned, suggesting that the name was in use in the region during that time.

Another early reference to the name Gerstner can be found in the 1438 Göttinger Urkundenbuch, a collection of documents from the city of Göttingen, Lower Saxony. This source mentions a "Hans Gerstner," indicating the presence of the name in that area in the 15th century.

One notable bearer of the Gerstner surname was Johann Andreas Gerstner (1734-1823), a German mathematician and physicist who made significant contributions to the field of mechanics. He served as a professor at the University of Göttingen and was a member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences.

Another individual of note was Karl Friedrich Gerstner (1786-1823), a German architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Vienna, Austria, including the Österreichische Nationalbank (Austrian National Bank) and the Palais Rasumofsky.

In the 19th century, Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers (1758-1840), a German astronomer and physician, discovered several comets and asteroids. His mother's maiden name was Gerstner, indicating the continued presence of the surname in Germany during that time.

Franz Anton Gerstner (1793-1840), a German engineer and railway pioneer, played a significant role in the development of early railroads in Austria and Russia. He designed and oversaw the construction of several important rail lines, including the Horse-Drawn Railway between Budweis and Linz.

Another notable bearer of the Gerstner surname was Karl Friedrich Gerstner (1756-1832), a German philosopher and educator who served as the director of the Philanthropinum in Dessau, a progressive educational institution founded on the principles of the Enlightenment.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gerstner

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

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

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

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