2000
#4,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,069
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.99
Rare Last name
Gunther
A Germanic surname derived from the ancient Germanic name Gundahar, meaning "battle warrior" or "bold warrior."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,591 Americans carry the last name Gunther. That puts it at #4,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.51 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,897 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gunther 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gunther with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.6K
1 in 39,897
Census rank
#4,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,492 bearers of the surname Gunther in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.51 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunther, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gunther
The surname Gunther has its origins in the Germanic culture and languages. It is derived from the Old German words "gund" meaning war, and "heri" meaning army or warrior. Together, the name essentially means "battle warrior" or "army warrior".
The name is believed to have first emerged in the regions of modern-day Germany and Austria, sometime around the 6th or 7th century AD. It was a commonly used name among the Germanic tribes and people of that era, reflecting their warlike nature and the importance of military prowess in their culture.
One of the earliest known references to the name Gunther can be found in the Old Norse epic poem, the Poetic Edda, which dates back to the 13th century. The poem features a character named Gunther, who is portrayed as a powerful and wealthy king.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, also contains several entries of individuals with the surname Gunther or variations of it, such as Gunter or Gunthar. This suggests that the name had spread to England by the 11th century, likely brought over by Germanic settlers or invaders.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname Gunther. One of the earliest was Gunther of Pairis (c. 955–1045), a Benedictine monk and chronicler who wrote a history of the monastery at Herrieden in modern-day Bavaria, Germany.
Another prominent figure was Gunther of Schwarzburg (c. 1170–1233), a German nobleman and crusader who participated in the Fifth Crusade to the Holy Land and served as a commander of the Teutonic Knights.
In the realm of art and literature, Johann Christian Gunther (1695–1723) was a German poet and satirist known for his biting satires and critiques of contemporary society.
The name also has a connection to exploration and travel, with Johann Gunther (1598–1634), a German traveler and merchant who authored a detailed account of his travels through Russia and Persia in the early 17th century.
Finally, one of the most recent notable individuals with the surname Gunther was Archibald Clavering Gunther (1847–1907), a British zoologist and ichthyologist who served as the Keeper of Zoology at the British Museum.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gunther
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunther, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gunther 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 Gunther surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 6,520
- Black or African American4.9% · 364
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 288
- Two or more races3.1% · 229
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 78
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gunther
Gunther 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
#4,501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,882
-187 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 2.67
Rank movement Down 454 places
2020
#4,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,492
-390 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.51
Rank movement Down 89 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,047 | 8,069 | 2.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,501 | 7,882 | 2.67 | -187 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 454 places |
| 2020 | #4,590 | 7,492 | 2.51 | -390 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 89 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 Gunther 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 | #4,501 | #4,590 | -2.0% |
| Count | 7,882 | 7,492 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.67 | 2.51 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gunther bearers went from 7,882 to 7,492 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 89 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,501 to #4,590.
FAQ
Gunther surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gunther?
Name Census estimates that about 8,591 living Americans carry the surname Gunther. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,897 residents.
How common is Gunther?
Gunther ranks #4,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.51 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,492 people with the surname Gunther. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,591), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.51 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.51 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Gunther.
Has Gunther become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gunther went from 7,882 recorded bearers to 7,492. That is a decrease of 390 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,501 to #4,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Gunther?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gunther, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.9%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Gunther in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (6,520 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gunther appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Black (4.9%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Gunther (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 Gunther mean?
A Germanic surname derived from the ancient Germanic name Gundahar, meaning "battle warrior" or "bold warrior." 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 Gunther (2.51 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 Gunther?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Gunther on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.