2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gitelson
An Ashkenazi Jewish surname derived from the male given name Gitel or Gitl, a diminutive of Gittl.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Gitelson. 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 Gitelson 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 Gitelson 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 Gitelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gitelson
The surname Gitelson is of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, tracing its roots back to the Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire during the 19th century. It is derived from the Yiddish personal name "Gitel," a diminutive form of the Hebrew name "Gittl," which itself is a derivative of the biblical name "Gittit."
The name Gitelson likely originated in the shtetls (small Jewish towns) of Belarus, Ukraine, and Poland, where many Ashkenazi Jews lived and worked as merchants, artisans, and tradesmen. The earliest known record of the name dates back to the late 18th century, appearing in various census records and community registers.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Gitelson was Chaim Gitelson, a renowned Talmudic scholar who lived in the town of Vilnius, Lithuania, in the early 19th century. He was known for his extensive commentary on the Talmud and his dedication to preserving Jewish traditions.
Another notable figure was Isaac Gitelson (1822-1890), a prominent Rabbi and author from Minsk, Belarus. He wrote several influential works on Jewish law and ethics, including "Shaarei Tzedek" and "Mishpat Tzedek."
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many Gitelsons emigrated from Eastern Europe to escape persecution and seek better opportunities in the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world. One such individual was Sarah Gitelson (1885-1972), a writer and activist who played a significant role in the labor and women's rights movements in New York City.
Shlomo Gitelson (1911-1989), a renowned Israeli diplomat and politician, was born in Ukraine and later became a prominent figure in the Zionist movement. He served as Israel's ambassador to several countries and played a crucial role in establishing diplomatic relations between Israel and various nations.
Another notable Gitelson was Mikhail Gitelson (1916-2010), a Soviet and Russian physicist who made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics. He was awarded the prestigious Lenin Prize in 1962 for his work on the development of nuclear reactors.
While the Gitelson surname has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in diverse fields such as academia, politics, literature, and science.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gitelson
Among Census respondents with the surname Gitelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gitelson 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 Gitelson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.7% · 108
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gitelson
Gitelson 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,708 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-8 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,168 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,708 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 9,168 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 Gitelson 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 | #137,327 | #146,495 | -6.7% |
| Count | 122 | 114 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gitelson bearers went from 122 to 114 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 9,168 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #146,495.
FAQ
Gitelson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gitelson?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Gitelson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Gitelson?
Gitelson 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 Gitelson. 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 Gitelson.
Has Gitelson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gitelson went from 122 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Gitelson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gitelson, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%) and Hispanic (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 Gitelson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.7% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gitelson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%), Hispanic (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 Gitelson (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 Gitelson mean?
An Ashkenazi Jewish surname derived from the male given name Gitel or Gitl, a diminutive of Gittl. 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 Gitelson (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 Gitelson?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Gitelson, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.