2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gottleib
A German surname meaning "God's love" or "beloved by God".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 147 Americans carry the last name Gottleib. That puts it at #136,082 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,331,662 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gottleib 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
147
1 in 2,331,662
Census rank
#136,082
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
128
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 128 bearers of the surname Gottleib in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 136082nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gottleib, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gottleib
The surname Gottleib is of German origin, derived from the personal name Gottlieb, which is a compound of the German words "Gott" meaning God and "lieb" meaning dear or beloved. The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages in Germany, where it was likely used as a descriptive name for someone who was perceived as being dear to God.
One of the earliest known records of the surname Gottleib dates back to the 13th century, where it appeared in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the region of Saxony. This record mentions a person named Gottleib von Merseburg, who was a landowner and nobleman from the city of Merseburg.
In the 15th century, the surname Gottleib can be found in the records of the city of Nuremberg, where a family by the name of Gottleib was involved in the textile trade. One notable member of this family was Hans Gottleib, a successful merchant who lived from 1430 to 1498.
In the 16th century, the Gottleib surname gained prominence in the region of Saxony, particularly in the city of Leipzig. One notable person with this surname was Johann Gottleib Heineccius, a renowned legal scholar and professor at the University of Leipzig, who lived from 1681 to 1741.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Gottleib surname continued to be found across various regions of Germany, including Saxony, Bavaria, and Prussia. One notable figure from this period was Johann Gottleib Kraus, a German composer and organist who lived from 1712 to 1778.
In the 19th century, the surname Gottleib spread to other parts of Europe and beyond, as German immigrants and their descendants carried the name with them. One notable person with this surname was Johann Gottleib Fichte, a German philosopher and one of the founding figures of German idealism, who lived from 1762 to 1814.
Throughout its history, the surname Gottleib has been associated with various occupations and professions, including landowners, merchants, scholars, musicians, and philosophers. While the name has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by generations of individuals with German ancestry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gottleib
Among Census respondents with the surname Gottleib, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Gottleib 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 Gottleib surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 128
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gottleib
Gottleib 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-22 bearers (-16.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 28,337 places
2020
#136,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+18 bearers (+16.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 13,313 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-16.7%) | Down 28,337 places |
| 2020 | #136,082 | 128 | 0.04 | +18 bearers (+16.4%) | Up 13,313 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 Gottleib 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 | #149,395 | #136,082 | 8.9% |
| Count | 110 | 128 | 16.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gottleib bearers went from 110 to 128 (+16.4% change). The surname moved up 13,313 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #136,082.
FAQ
Gottleib surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gottleib?
Name Census estimates that about 147 living Americans carry the surname Gottleib. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,331,662 residents.
How common is Gottleib?
Gottleib ranks #136,082 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 128 people with the surname Gottleib. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (147), 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 Gottleib.
Has Gottleib become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gottleib went from 110 recorded bearers to 128. That is an increase of 18 (+16.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #136,082.
What does the Census say about the background of Gottleib?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gottleib, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Gottleib in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (128 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gottleib appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Gottleib (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 Gottleib mean?
A German surname meaning "God's love" or "beloved by God". 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 Gottleib (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 Gottleib?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.