2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Guiltner
A surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "wealthy or prosperous".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Guiltner. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guiltner 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Guiltner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guiltner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guiltner
The surname Guiltner is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German word "Gültner," which referred to a person who collected taxes or tolls. This occupation-based surname likely arose as a way to identify individuals who held such roles within their communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the historic town of Bamberg, located in the northern Bavaria region of Germany. In a 1562 census record, a man named Hans Gültner is listed as a resident of the town, lending credence to the theory that the name was already well-established in that area by the mid-16th century.
While the Guiltner surname is relatively uncommon, it has left traces throughout various historical records and documents. For example, in the 1683 manuscript "Bamberger Kirchenbücher," which chronicled church records in the Bamberg region, several entries mention individuals bearing the Gültner or Guiltner surname.
As the centuries passed, the name appears to have spread beyond its German origins. In the late 18th century, a man named Johann Guiltner was recorded as having immigrated to the United States from the German Palatinate region, eventually settling in Pennsylvania. This marked one of the earliest known instances of the Guiltner surname taking root in North America.
Notable individuals who have carried the Guiltner surname throughout history include:
1. Konrad Gültner (1524-1602), a German Protestant theologian and scholar who served as a professor at the University of Heidelberg.
2. Hans Guiltner (1638-1712), a German-born physician who practiced medicine in the city of Nuremberg and authored several treatises on medical practices.
3. Eliza Guiltner (1792-1868), an American educator and pioneer who established one of the first schools for girls in the state of Kentucky.
4. Wilhelm Guiltner (1870-1942), a German architect and urban planner who designed several prominent buildings in the city of Berlin during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
5. Margarethe Guiltner (1914-2003), a German-Swiss artist known for her intricate woodcut prints and etchings, many of which depicted scenes from rural life in the Swiss Alps.
While the Guiltner surname may not be among the most common, its rich history and origins serve as a testament to the diverse tapestry of names that have shaped various cultures and societies throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guiltner
Among Census respondents with the surname Guiltner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Guiltner 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 Guiltner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 89
- Two or more races7.9% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 3
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guiltner
Guiltner appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-8 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,818 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 4,818 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 Guiltner 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 | #150,452 | #155,270 | -3.2% |
| Count | 109 | 101 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guiltner bearers went from 109 to 101 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 4,818 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #155,270.
FAQ
Guiltner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guiltner?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Guiltner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Guiltner?
Guiltner ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Guiltner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Guiltner.
Has Guiltner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guiltner went from 109 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Guiltner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guiltner, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.9%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Guiltner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guiltner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Two or More Races (7.9%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Guiltner (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 Guiltner mean?
A surname derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "wealthy or prosperous". 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 Guiltner (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Guiltner?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.