2000
#77,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 229
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Gitelman
A Jewish surname derived from the Yiddish word "gitl," meaning good or kind.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 276 Americans carry the last name Gitelman. That puts it at #83,936 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,241,864 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gitelman 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
276
1 in 1,241,864
Census rank
#83,936
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
241
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 241 bearers of the surname Gitelman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 83936th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gitelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Black (0.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gitelman
The surname Gitelman is of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, tracing its roots back to the 19th century in Eastern Europe. It is believed to be a Germanized form of the Yiddish name "Gitel," a diminutive of the Hebrew name "Gittl" or "Gittel," meaning "good luck" or "good fortune."
The earliest known record of the Gitelman surname dates back to the mid-19th century in the Russian Empire, specifically in the Pale of Settlement, a region where Jews were allowed to legally reside. During this time, many Jews were required to adopt permanent surnames, and Gitelman emerged as a common choice among those with the given name Gitel or its variants.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gitelman surname can be found in the vital records of the town of Zhitomir, now part of modern-day Ukraine. In the 1860s, a family by the name of Gitelman is listed as residing in the town's Jewish community.
While the name Gitelman itself does not appear to be directly associated with any significant historical events or figures, it has been carried by notable individuals throughout the years. One such person was Moishe Gitelman, a influential Yiddish writer and poet who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Odessa, then part of the Russian Empire.
Another noteworthy individual was Sarah Gitelman, a prominent educator and advocate for women's rights in the early 20th century. Born in 1885 in Vilna, she dedicated her life to promoting educational opportunities for Jewish women and girls in Eastern Europe.
In the field of science, the name Gitelman is associated with Dr. Hillel Gitelman, a renowned geneticist and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who made significant contributions to the study of population genetics and the genetic history of Jewish communities.
Moving to the United States, one notable bearer of the Gitelman surname was Morris Gitelman, a successful businessman and philanthropist born in 1901 in Minsk, Belarus. He immigrated to New York City in the 1920s and went on to establish a successful textile manufacturing company, while also being an active supporter of various Jewish charities and organizations.
Finally, in more recent history, Dr. Cynthia Gitelman, a professor of political science at Columbia University, has gained recognition for her extensive research and expertise on the politics and societies of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
While the Gitelman surname may not have a long and illustrious history spanning centuries, it has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields, from literature and education to science and business, reflecting the resilience and determination of the Jewish diaspora in Eastern Europe and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gitelman
Among Census respondents with the surname Gitelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Black (0.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Gitelman 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 Gitelman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.7% · 233
- Two or more races2.5% · 6
- Black or African American0.4% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gitelman
Gitelman 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
#70,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 278
+49 bearers (+21.4%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 7,339 places
2020
#83,936
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 241
-37 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 13,533 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #77,742 | 229 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #70,403 | 278 | 0.09 | +49 bearers (+21.4%) | Up 7,339 places |
| 2020 | #83,936 | 241 | 0.08 | -37 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 13,533 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 Gitelman 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 | #70,403 | #83,936 | -19.2% |
| Count | 278 | 241 | -13.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.09 | 0.08 | -10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gitelman bearers went from 278 to 241 (-13.3% change). The surname moved down 13,533 positions in the national ranking, going from #70,403 to #83,936.
FAQ
Gitelman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gitelman?
Name Census estimates that about 276 living Americans carry the surname Gitelman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,241,864 residents.
How common is Gitelman?
Gitelman ranks #83,936 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.08 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 241 people with the surname Gitelman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (276), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.08 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 Gitelman.
Has Gitelman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gitelman went from 278 recorded bearers to 241. That is a decrease of 37 (-13.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #70,403 to #83,936.
What does the Census say about the background of Gitelman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gitelman, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%) and Black (0.4%). 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 Gitelman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (233 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gitelman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.7%), Two or More Races (2.5%), Black (0.4%). 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 Gitelman (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 Gitelman mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the Yiddish word "gitl," meaning good or kind. 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 Gitelman (0.08 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 Gitelman?
Want to know how many people have the last name Gitelman? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.