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

Guenther, 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 Guenther surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Guenther in America

Guenther is the 3621st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Guenther surname appeared 9,809 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Guenther.

We can also compare 2010 data for Guenther 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 Guenther

The surname Guenther is of German origin and is believed to have originated in the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Old German personal name Gunthar, which is composed of the elements "gund" meaning "war" and "heri" meaning "army." Thus, the name Guenther initially referred to a warrior or soldier.

The name Guenther can be traced back to various regions in Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Swabia. It was often associated with noble families and knights in the medieval period. Early variations of the spelling included Gunther, Gunthar, and Gunthere.

Historical records show that the name Guenther appeared in various medieval manuscripts and chronicles. For instance, it is mentioned in the Nibelungenlied, a renowned German epic poem from the 13th century, where Gunther is the name of one of the main characters, the king of the Burgundians.

One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name Guenther was Gunther von Schwarzburg (c. 1195-1272), a German nobleman and a prominent figure during the reign of Emperor Frederick II. Another notable figure was Gunther von Pairis (c. 1150-1220), a German cleric and historian who wrote the Ligurinus, a chronicle of the Holy Roman Empire.

In the 14th century, Gunther von Hohenstein (c. 1300-1348) was a German knight and poet who composed the famous work "Der Dohter Syon" (The Daughter of Zion). Additionally, Gunther von Arnstadt (c. 1330-1390) was a German mathematician and astronomer known for his work on calendar reform.

During the Renaissance period, Gunther von Andernach (c. 1500-1556) was a German humanist and poet who served as a personal secretary to Emperor Charles V. Another individual of note was Gunther Schulze (1545-1613), a German theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Wittenberg.

As the name spread throughout Germany and beyond, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Günther, Gunter, and Ginter. The name also gained popularity in other Germanic-speaking regions, including the Netherlands, Austria, and Switzerland.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Guenther

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

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 Guenther 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 Guenther 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 Guenther was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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