2000
#112,365
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 145
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gottler
A Germanic surname derived from the name Gottler, itself derived from the medieval name Gottlieb meaning "lover of God".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 159 Americans carry the last name Gottler. That puts it at #128,411 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,155,688 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gottler 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
159
1 in 2,155,688
Census rank
#128,411
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
139
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 139 bearers of the surname Gottler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 128411th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gottler, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gottler
The surname Gottler is of German origin, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the southern German regions, particularly in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name is derived from the German word "Gott," meaning "God," and is likely an occupational name referring to someone who worked in a church or monastery.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gottler can be found in the church records of the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, where a certain Hans Gottler was mentioned in 1525. This suggests that the name was already established in that area during the late Middle Ages.
In the 17th century, the Gottler family spread to other parts of Germany, with some members settling in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia. One notable individual from this period was Johann Gottler (1596-1654), a Protestant theologian and author who served as a pastor in the town of Zittau, Saxony.
The 18th century saw the name Gottler appear in various historical records across German-speaking lands. For instance, in 1712, a Georg Gottler was recorded as a landowner in the village of Oberstenfeld, near Stuttgart, in what is now Baden-Württemberg.
As the Gottler family continued to grow and disperse, some members eventually migrated to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. One such individual was Franz Gottler (1782-1856), a German immigrant who settled in Pennsylvania, United States, in the early 19th century.
Another notable figure with the surname Gottler was Karl Gottler (1868-1942), a German architect and urban planner who was instrumental in the development of several cities in the early 20th century, including the redesign of parts of Munich and the planning of the new city of Rüsselsheim.
While the surname Gottler is not among the most common in German-speaking regions, it has a rich history that spans centuries and can be traced back to its origins in southern Germany. The name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including theologians, landowners, immigrants, and renowned architects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gottler
Among Census respondents with the surname Gottler, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Gottler 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 Gottler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 139
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gottler
Gottler 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
#116,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149
+4 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,464 places
2020
#128,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
-10 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 11,582 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,365 | 145 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #116,829 | 149 | 0.05 | +4 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 4,464 places |
| 2020 | #128,411 | 139 | 0.05 | -10 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 11,582 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 Gottler 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 | #116,829 | #128,411 | -9.9% |
| Count | 149 | 139 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gottler bearers went from 149 to 139 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 11,582 positions in the national ranking, going from #116,829 to #128,411.
FAQ
Gottler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gottler?
Name Census estimates that about 159 living Americans carry the surname Gottler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,155,688 residents.
How common is Gottler?
Gottler ranks #128,411 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 139 people with the surname Gottler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (159), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Gottler.
Has Gottler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gottler went from 149 recorded bearers to 139. That is a decrease of 10 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #116,829 to #128,411.
What does the Census say about the background of Gottler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gottler, 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 Gottler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (139 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gottler 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 Gottler (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 Gottler mean?
A Germanic surname derived from the name Gottler, itself derived from the medieval name Gottlieb meaning "lover of 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 Gottler (0.05 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 Gottler?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Gottler is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.