2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Getzelman
A surname of German origin meaning 'comrade' or 'traveling companion'.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Getzelman. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Getzelman 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Getzelman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Getzelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Getzelman
The surname Getzelman is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is likely derived from the German words "getze" meaning a kid or young goat, and "mann" meaning man. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked with or tended to goats, perhaps a goatherd.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Getzelman can be found in the Görlitz municipal archives, dating back to the 14th century. Here, a certain Hanns Getzelman is mentioned as a resident of the city in the year 1379.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various records from the region of Saxony, with variant spellings such as Getzelmann and Getzelman. Notable individuals from this time period include Hans Getzelmann, a landowner in the village of Lohmen near Dresden, who lived around 1450.
By the 16th century, the Getzelman name had spread to other parts of Germany, including the Rhineland region. In a 1567 census record from the town of Boppard, a family headed by Peter Getzelman is listed among the local residents.
One of the most prominent individuals with the Getzelman surname was Johann Getzelman, a Lutheran theologian and author who lived from 1559 to 1631. He served as a pastor in several German cities and published several works on religious topics.
Another notable figure was Christoph Getzelman (1688-1758), a German composer and organist who served as Kapellmeister (chapel master) at the court of the Dukes of Saxe-Hildburghausen.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Getzelman continued to be found in various regions of Germany, with some individuals also migrating to other parts of Europe and North America. For example, records show a Johann Getzelman who settled in Pennsylvania in the 1770s.
Overall, the surname Getzelman has a long and rich history that can be traced back to medieval Germany, where it likely originated as an occupational name related to the goat-herding profession.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Getzelman
Among Census respondents with the surname Getzelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Getzelman 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 Getzelman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 5
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Getzelman
Getzelman 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,097 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-14 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 8,097 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 14,289 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 Getzelman 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 | #132,206 | #146,495 | -10.8% |
| Count | 128 | 114 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Getzelman bearers went from 128 to 114 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 14,289 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #146,495.
FAQ
Getzelman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Getzelman?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Getzelman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Getzelman?
Getzelman ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 114 people with the surname Getzelman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Getzelman.
Has Getzelman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Getzelman went from 128 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Getzelman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Getzelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.4%) and Black (1.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Getzelman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Getzelman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (4.4%), Black (1.8%). 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 Getzelman (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 Getzelman mean?
A surname of German origin meaning 'comrade' or 'traveling companion'. 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 Getzelman (0.04 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 common is the surname Getzelman?
If you just want to know how many people are called Getzelman, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.