Find out how popular the last name Gottlieb is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gottlieb.

Gottlieb, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gottlieb surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gottlieb in America

Gottlieb is the 5345th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gottlieb surname appeared 6,509 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Gottlieb.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gottlieb to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gottlieb

The surname Gottlieb originated in Germany and is derived from the German words "Gott" meaning "God" and "lieb" meaning "beloved" or "dear." It's a name that was likely given to people who were devout or pious.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gottlieb surname can be found in the 16th century, with mentions in church records and other documents from that time period. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Bavaria, Saxony, and Württemberg.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Gottlieb name appeared in various manuscripts and records, including birth, marriage, and death registers. Some notable individuals with this surname from that era include Johann Gottlieb Naumann (1741-1801), a German composer and kapellmeister, and Johann Gottlieb Fichte (1762-1814), a German philosopher and one of the founding figures of German idealism.

The 19th century saw the continued use of the Gottlieb surname, with several notable bearers. One example is Carl Gottlieb Reissiger (1798-1859), a German composer and conductor who served as the director of the Dresden Opera. Another is Wilhelm Gottlieb Tilesius (1769-1857), a German naturalist and explorer who accompanied the Russian circumnavigation expedition led by Adam Johann von Krusenstern.

As the 20th century approached, the Gottlieb name remained prominent, with individuals like Carl Gottlieb Hering (1880-1950), a German-American chemist and physicist known for his work on the Hering illusion and contributions to color vision theory. Additionally, Karl Gottlieb Guichard (1724-1775) was a German military officer who served in the Seven Years' War and is remembered for his role in the defense of the Prussian fortress of Torgau.

Throughout its history, the surname Gottlieb has maintained its connection to its German roots and religious connotations, with many bearers being found in German-speaking regions and communities around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gottlieb

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gottlieb.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gottlieb was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gottlieb has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gottlieb was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gottlieb, please contact us.

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