2000
#138,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gewerth
A surname of German origin meaning "worth" or "value".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Gewerth. 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 Gewerth 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 Gewerth 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 Gewerth, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.9%) and Hispanic (7.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gewerth
The surname Gewerth is of German origin, with its roots dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old German word "giwer," which means "fertile." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived in a fertile area or worked as a farmer.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Gewerth can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxony, Germany, dating back to the 13th century. Here, the name is spelled as "Gewerde," which is likely an older variation of Gewerth.
One notable historical figure bearing this surname was Johannes Gewerth, a German scholar and theologian who lived from 1495 to 1568. He was a prominent figure in the Protestant Reformation and served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg.
Another individual of note was Christoph Gewerth, a German artist born in 1578 in Nuremberg. He was renowned for his exquisite woodcarvings and sculptures, many of which can still be found in various churches and museums across Germany.
In the late 16th century, the Gewerth family was among the early settlers in the New World, with records indicating their presence in the Pennsylvania Dutch communities of the United States. One such individual was Hans Gewerth, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1683.
The name Gewerth has also been associated with various place names in Germany, such as Gewertshausen, a small village in Bavaria, and Gewertzhof, a former estate located in the region of Franconia.
Throughout history, several variations of the name have been recorded, including Gewerdte, Gewerthe, and Gewert, each reflecting the local dialect and spelling conventions of the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gewerth
Among Census respondents with the surname Gewerth, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.9%) and Hispanic (7.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gewerth 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 Gewerth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.3% · 79
- Two or more races14.9% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino7.9% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gewerth
Gewerth 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-5 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,028 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+8 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,274 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #138,741 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 15,028 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 7,274 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 Gewerth 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 | #153,769 | #146,495 | 4.7% |
| Count | 106 | 114 | 7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gewerth bearers went from 106 to 114 (+7.5% change). The surname moved up 7,274 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #146,495.
FAQ
Gewerth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gewerth?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Gewerth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Gewerth?
Gewerth 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 Gewerth. 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 Gewerth.
Has Gewerth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gewerth went from 106 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 8 (+7.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Gewerth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gewerth, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (14.9%) and Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Gewerth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.3% (79 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gewerth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.3%), Two or More Races (14.9%), Hispanic (7.9%). 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 Gewerth (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 Gewerth mean?
A surname of German origin meaning "worth" or "value". 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 Gewerth (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 share the surname Gewerth?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.