2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gister
A variant spelling of the German surname Gister, a habitational name for someone from Güster.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Gister. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gister 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Gister in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gister, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gister
The surname Gister originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old German word "gist," which means yeast or fermentation. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a baker or brewer.
In its early forms, the name was spelled as "Gister" or "Gistere." Some of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval German records and documents, including parish registers and tax rolls from the 13th and 14th centuries.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Gister, a baker who lived in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in the late 14th century. His name is mentioned in a guild register from 1387.
Another notable figure was Hans Gister, a brewer who lived in Nuremberg in the early 15th century. Historical records indicate that he was a prominent member of the local brewing guild and supplied beer to several taverns in the city.
During the 16th century, the Gister surname began to spread beyond its German origins. In 1542, a merchant named Matthias Gister is recorded as having settled in the Dutch city of Amsterdam, where he established a successful trading business.
In the 17th century, the name appears in some English records, possibly brought over by German immigrants. One example is Thomas Gister, a baker who was born in London in 1628 and is listed in parish records.
Another notable individual was Johann Gister, a German scholar and philosopher who lived from 1697 to 1768. He was a professor at the University of Göttingen and published several works on metaphysics and ethics.
As the name spread across Europe, various spellings emerged, such as "Gistere," "Gistler," and "Gistner." However, the original German form of "Gister" remained the most common.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gister
Among Census respondents with the surname Gister, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gister 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 Gister surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.5% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 6
- Two or more races5.5% · 6
- Black or African American4.6% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gister
Gister 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-7 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,603 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,327 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 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -7 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 16,603 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 1,327 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 Gister 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 | #151,532 | #150,205 | 0.9% |
| Count | 108 | 109 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gister bearers went from 108 to 109 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 1,327 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #150,205.
FAQ
Gister surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gister?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Gister. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Gister?
Gister ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Gister. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Gister.
Has Gister become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gister went from 108 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Gister?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gister, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Gister in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.5% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gister appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.5%), Hispanic (5.5%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Gister (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 Gister mean?
A variant spelling of the German surname Gister, a habitational name for someone from Güster. 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 Gister (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 Americans have the surname Gister?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.