2000
#112,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gittman
A Jewish surname derived from the Yiddish word "git," meaning "good."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Gittman. 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 Gittman 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 Gittman 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 Gittman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gittman
The surname Gittman is of German origin, traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated from the German region of Bavaria in the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old German word "gittag" or "gitting," which referred to a fenced-off area or enclosure, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near or worked in such an area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gittman name can be found in the Würzburg census of 1305, where a certain "Hans Gittman" was listed as a resident. Another early mention is in the Nuremberg city records from 1412, where a "Konrad Gittman" is documented as a skilled craftsman.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various German parish records and tax rolls, with variations in spelling such as "Gittmann," "Gitteman," and "Gittemann." One notable individual from this period was Johannes Gittman (1543-1619), a renowned philosopher and theologian from Saxony.
During the 17th century, the Gittman name spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring regions. In 1671, a certain "Hans Gittman" from Hesse is recorded as one of the first settlers in the Dutch colony of New Netherland (present-day New York).
The 18th century saw the emergence of several prominent Gittmans, including Johann Gittman (1715-1799), a celebrated composer and organist from Thuringia, and Friedrich Gittman (1782-1847), a respected jurist and legal scholar from Baden.
As the name continued to evolve and spread throughout the 19th century, notable Gittmans included Karl Gittman (1811-1888), a renowned German historian and author, and August Gittman (1845-1923), a pioneering engineer and inventor from Bavaria.
Other historical figures bearing the Gittman surname include Otto Gittman (1876-1942), a German-American architect who designed several iconic buildings in New York City, and Helene Gittman (1904-1989), a groundbreaking physicist and one of the first women to earn a doctorate in nuclear physics from the University of Berlin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gittman
Among Census respondents with the surname Gittman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gittman 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 Gittman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 105
- Two or more races5.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gittman
Gittman 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
-16 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,239 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-14 bearers (-10.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,289 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,967 | 144 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 19,239 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-10.9%) | Down 14,289 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 Gittman 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 | #132,206 | #146,495 | -10.8% |
| Count | 128 | 114 | -10.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gittman bearers went from 128 to 114 (-10.9% change). The surname moved down 14,289 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #146,495.
FAQ
Gittman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gittman?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Gittman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Gittman?
Gittman 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 Gittman. 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 Gittman.
Has Gittman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gittman went from 128 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 14 (-10.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Gittman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gittman, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Gittman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gittman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (5.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Gittman (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 Gittman mean?
A Jewish surname derived from the Yiddish word "git," meaning "good." 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 Gittman (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 Gittman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.