2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Guckes
A German surname thought to be derived from the name Gottschalk, meaning "servant of God".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Guckes. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guckes 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Guckes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guckes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guckes
The surname GUCKES is believed to have originated in Germany, with its roots tracing back to the late medieval period. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "gucken," which means "to look" or "to peer." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who had a distinctive or curious gaze.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GUCKES can be found in the Bürgermeisterbuch, a historical record of mayors and civic leaders in the town of Nürnberg, dating back to the 15th century. In this document, a certain Hans Guckes is mentioned as holding a prominent position in the local government during the late 1400s.
In the 16th century, the GUCKES name appears to have spread to various regions of Germany, with records showing families bearing this surname in cities like Cologne, Frankfurt, and Leipzig. One notable figure from this era was Johann Guckes, a Lutheran theologian and academic who lived from 1515 to 1581. He served as a professor at the University of Wittenberg and contributed several scholarly works on theological subjects.
As the name GUCKES traveled across Europe, it underwent some variations in spelling, such as Guckes, Guckés, and Guckies. In the Netherlands, for instance, the name took on the form Guckies, and there are records of a Dutch merchant named Pieter Guckies who lived in Amsterdam in the early 1700s.
Moving into the 19th century, the GUCKES name gained further recognition with the birth of Heinrich Guckes (1813-1879), a German writer and poet who was celebrated for his lyrical works and contributions to the Romantic literary movement. Another prominent figure from this era was Karl Guckes (1828-1901), a German engineer who played a significant role in the development of early steam engine technology.
As the GUCKES surname spread globally, it found its way to other parts of the world, including the United States. One notable American bearer of this name was William Guckes (1892-1978), a successful businessman and philanthropist who made substantial contributions to various charitable organizations in the early 20th century.
Throughout its history, the surname GUCKES has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions, ranging from academics and writers to entrepreneurs and engineers. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, the name has left its mark across various cultures and regions, reflecting the rich tapestry of human migration and cultural exchange.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guckes
Among Census respondents with the surname Guckes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Guckes 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 Guckes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 104
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guckes
Guckes 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,609 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-8 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,726 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 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 9,609 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 8,726 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 Guckes 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 | #139,228 | #147,954 | -6.3% |
| Count | 120 | 112 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guckes bearers went from 120 to 112 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 8,726 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #147,954.
FAQ
Guckes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guckes?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Guckes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Guckes?
Guckes ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Guckes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Guckes.
Has Guckes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guckes went from 120 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 8 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Guckes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guckes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) 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 Guckes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guckes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Two or More Races (2.7%), 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 Guckes (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 Guckes mean?
A German surname thought to be derived from the name Gottschalk, meaning "servant 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 Guckes (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 surname Guckes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.