2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gertman
A locational surname referring to someone from Germany or of German descent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Gertman. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gertman 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Gertman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gertman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.9%. The next largest groups are White (37.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gertman
The surname Gertman is believed to have originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is thought to have derived from the old German words "gert" or "gert," meaning "brave" or "strong," and "man," signifying a person or individual. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a courageous or valiant person.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gertman name can be found in the historical records of the city of Cologne, where a merchant named Hans Gertman was mentioned in a trade document from the year 1457. This document detailed a transaction involving the import of spices and textiles from the Netherlands.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the Gertman name was Johann Gertman, a Lutheran theologian and scholar born in Saxony in 1518. He was known for his writings on theology and his contributions to the Reformation movement in Germany.
The Gertman surname also has ties to the region of Bavaria, where it is believed to have originated from the town of Gertshofen. A record from 1623 mentions a farmer named Wolfgang Gertman who owned land in the area and was involved in a dispute over property boundaries.
In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the Gertman name was Friedrich Gertman, a German composer and musician born in Berlin in 1744. He was known for his compositions for the harpsichord and his contributions to the musical culture of the time.
Another significant figure with the Gertman surname was Helene Gertman, a German artist and painter born in Munich in 1876. She was renowned for her landscapes and portraiture, and her works were exhibited in various galleries across Europe during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While the Gertman name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, with descendants and bearers of the name found in various countries and regions. However, the historical origins and significance of the surname can be traced back to its German heritage and the meanings associated with its component words.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gertman
Among Census respondents with the surname Gertman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.9%. The next largest groups are White (37.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gertman 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 Gertman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American52.9% · 55
- White37.5% · 39
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gertman
Gertman 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-10 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,034 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-10 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,370 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 18,034 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 8,370 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 Gertman 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 | #145,220 | #153,590 | -5.8% |
| Count | 114 | 104 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gertman bearers went from 114 to 104 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 8,370 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #153,590.
FAQ
Gertman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gertman?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Gertman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Gertman?
Gertman ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 104 people with the surname Gertman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gertman.
Has Gertman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gertman went from 114 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Gertman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gertman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 52.9%. The next largest groups are White (37.5%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gertman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.9% (55 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gertman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (52.9%), White (37.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Gertman (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 Gertman mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Germany or of German descent. 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 Gertman (0.03 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 share the surname Gertman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.