2000
#14,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,952
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Gerstner
An occupational surname referring to a barley farmer or barley merchant, derived from the German word "gerste" meaning barley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,203 Americans carry the last name Gerstner. That puts it at #14,815 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,585 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gerstner 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
2.2K
1 in 155,585
Census rank
#14,815
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,921 bearers of the surname Gerstner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14815th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerstner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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recorded instances of the name Gerstner can be found in the 1295 Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the Margraviate of Brandenburg.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gerstner
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerstner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gerstner 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 Gerstner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 1,793
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 68
- Two or more races2.1% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gerstner
Gerstner 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
#14,604
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,038
+86 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 467 places
2020
#14,815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,921
-117 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 211 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,137 | 1,952 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,604 | 2,038 | 0.69 | +86 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 467 places |
| 2020 | #14,815 | 1,921 | 0.64 | -117 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 211 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 Gerstner 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 | #14,604 | #14,815 | -1.4% |
| Count | 2,038 | 1,921 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.64 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gerstner bearers went from 2,038 to 1,921 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 211 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,604 to #14,815.
FAQ
Gerstner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gerstner?
Name Census estimates that about 2,203 living Americans carry the surname Gerstner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,585 residents.
How common is Gerstner?
Gerstner ranks #14,815 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,921 people with the surname Gerstner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,203), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gerstner.
Has Gerstner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gerstner went from 2,038 recorded bearers to 1,921. That is a decrease of 117 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,604 to #14,815.
What does the Census say about the background of Gerstner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerstner, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Gerstner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (1,793 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gerstner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Gerstner (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 Gerstner mean?
An occupational surname referring to a barley farmer or barley merchant, derived from the German word "gerste" meaning barley. 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 Gerstner (0.64 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 Gerstner?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.