2000
#14,000
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,977
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.73
Rare Last name
Gerth
Derived from a German personal name meaning "spear" or "enclosure," or a habitational name for someone living near a garden.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,148 Americans carry the last name Gerth. That puts it at #15,115 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,569 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gerth 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
2.1K
1 in 159,569
Census rank
#15,115
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,873 bearers of the surname Gerth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15115th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gerth
The surname GERTH is of German origin, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "gart," meaning "enclosure" or "garden," suggesting that the name may have initially been associated with individuals who lived near or worked in enclosed gardens or cultivated lands.
One of the earliest known references to the name GERTH can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the Middle Ages, where it appears as "Gerte" in the year 1191. This suggests that the name may have been more commonly spelled with an "e" at the end during its early usage.
In the 13th century, the name GERTH appeared in various records across Germany, including the Traditiones et Antiquitates Fuldenses, a chronicle of the Fulda Abbey in modern-day Hesse. This indicates that the name was well-established in various regions of the country during this period.
One of the earliest notable individuals bearing the surname GERTH was Hans Gerth (c. 1455-1525), a German painter and woodcarver active in Nuremberg during the Renaissance era. His works can still be found in museums and churches throughout Germany.
Another prominent figure with the GERTH surname was Johann Baptist Gerth (1662-1726), a German Baroque composer and organist who served as Kapellmeister at the court of the Prince-Bishop of Constance.
In the 19th century, the name GERTH gained recognition through the works of the German philosopher and sociologist Hans Gerth (1908-1979), who collaborated with Max Weber and played a significant role in introducing Weber's ideas to the English-speaking world.
Other notable individuals with the GERTH surname include Karl Gerth (1846-1923), a German politician and journalist who served as a member of the Reichstag, and Ursula Gerth (1914-2010), a German artist and sculptor known for her abstract works.
While the surname GERTH has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and has been adapted to various linguistic and cultural contexts, reflecting the rich history and diversity of this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gerth
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gerth 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 Gerth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 1,737
- Two or more races3.5% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 40
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gerth
Gerth 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
#15,015
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,967
-10 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 1,015 places
2020
#15,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,873
-94 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 100 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,000 | 1,977 | 0.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,015 | 1,967 | 0.67 | -10 bearers (-0.5%) | Down 1,015 places |
| 2020 | #15,115 | 1,873 | 0.63 | -94 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 100 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 Gerth 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 | #15,015 | #15,115 | -0.7% |
| Count | 1,967 | 1,873 | -4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.63 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gerth bearers went from 1,967 to 1,873 (-4.8% change). The surname moved down 100 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,015 to #15,115.
FAQ
Gerth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gerth?
Name Census estimates that about 2,148 living Americans carry the surname Gerth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,569 residents.
How common is Gerth?
Gerth ranks #15,115 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,873 people with the surname Gerth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,148), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Gerth.
Has Gerth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gerth went from 1,967 recorded bearers to 1,873. That is a decrease of 94 (-4.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,015 to #15,115.
What does the Census say about the background of Gerth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerth, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (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 Gerth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (1,737 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gerth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (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 Gerth (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 Gerth mean?
Derived from a German personal name meaning "spear" or "enclosure," or a habitational name for someone living near a garden. 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 Gerth (0.63 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 Gerth?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.