2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Getzoff
A surname derived from a Polish or Belarusian town name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Getzoff. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Getzoff 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Getzoff in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Getzoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.1%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Getzoff
The surname GETZOFF has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in Russia and the surrounding regions. It is believed to have emerged during the 15th to 17th centuries, a period marked by significant political and social changes in the region.
GETZOFF is a Russified version of the German surname "Götz" or "Goetz," which itself is derived from the Germanic personal name "Godehard" or "Gotthard." This name is composed of the elements "god" (meaning "god") and "hard" (meaning "brave" or "hardy"). The name likely originated as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who was perceived as brave or hardy in the eyes of God.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname GETZOFF can be traced back to the late 16th century in various Russian census records and church registers. During this period, Russia experienced an influx of German settlers, merchants, and artisans, leading to the adoption and adaptation of German names into the Russian language.
One notable historical figure with the surname GETZOFF was Ivan Getzoff (1827-1892), a Russian military officer who served in the Imperial Russian Army during the Crimean War and later became a governor of the Kherson Governorate in modern-day Ukraine.
Another individual of note was Mikhail Getzoff (1857-1919), a prominent Russian architect who designed several notable buildings in St. Petersburg, including the St. Petersburg Conservatory and the Church of the Resurrection of Christ.
In the 18th century, the surname GETZOFF appeared in various Russian imperial records, such as the Revision Lists, which were census-like documents used for taxation purposes. One example is Andrei Getzoff, a landowner from the Tver region, recorded in the Revision Lists of 1782.
During the 19th century, the surname GETZOFF gained prominence in the Russian Empire. One notable figure was Nikolai Getzoff (1819-1888), a Russian writer and translator who contributed to the translation of several works of Shakespeare into Russian.
In the early 20th century, Sergei Getzoff (1876-1938) was a Russian engineer and inventor who worked on the development of early aviation technologies and held several patents related to aircraft design.
While the surname GETZOFF has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins can be traced back to the Germanic and Russian cultural influences that shaped its evolution over several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Getzoff
Among Census respondents with the surname Getzoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.1%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Getzoff 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 Getzoff surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 93
- Two or more races9.1% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 5
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Getzoff
Getzoff 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-10 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,978 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+5 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,461 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 19,978 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.8%) | Up 5,461 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 Getzoff 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 | #154,907 | #149,446 | 3.5% |
| Count | 105 | 110 | 4.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Getzoff bearers went from 105 to 110 (+4.8% change). The surname moved up 5,461 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #149,446.
FAQ
Getzoff surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Getzoff?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Getzoff. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Getzoff?
Getzoff ranks #149,446 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 110 people with the surname Getzoff. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), 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 Getzoff.
Has Getzoff become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Getzoff went from 105 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 5 (+4.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Getzoff?
Among Census respondents with the surname Getzoff, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.1%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Getzoff in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (93 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Getzoff appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Two or More Races (9.1%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Getzoff (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 Getzoff mean?
A surname derived from a Polish or Belarusian town name. 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 Getzoff (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 many people have the last name Getzoff?
You can see how common the surname Getzoff is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.