2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gustaitis
A Lituanian surname derived from the personal name Gustas, itself derived from the German name Gustav.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 177 Americans carry the last name Gustaitis. That puts it at #119,015 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,936,465 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gustaitis 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
177
1 in 1,936,465
Census rank
#119,015
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
154
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 154 bearers of the surname Gustaitis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 119015th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gustaitis, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gustaitis
The surname GUSTAITIS originates from Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It first emerged in the 16th century as a patronymic name, derived from the Lithuanian given name Gustas, which itself is a variant of the German name Gustav.
GUSTAITIS was initially concentrated in the region of Samogitia, in western Lithuania. The name likely evolved from earlier spellings such as Gustautas or Gustavicius, reflecting the influence of local dialects and naming conventions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GUSTAITIS surname can be found in the 17th-century Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth records, where it was often written as "Gustawicz" or "Gustawiczius" due to the use of the Latin alphabet.
In the 18th century, a notable bearer of the GUSTAITIS name was Jonas Gustaitis (1716-1795), a Lithuanian writer and poet who authored several works in the Lithuanian language, contributing to the preservation of the country's literary heritage during the period of Polish-Lithuanian rule.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Kazys Gustaitis (1869-1942), a Lithuanian lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Justice in the Provisional Government of Lithuania in 1919, after the country regained its independence following World War I.
During the 19th century, the GUSTAITIS surname was also found in the Kaunas region of central Lithuania, where it was sometimes associated with the place name Gustoniai, a small village near the city of Kėdainiai.
In the 20th century, Juozas Gustaitis (1904-1992) was a notable Lithuanian-American painter and sculptor, known for his works depicting Lithuanian folk themes and landscapes. He emigrated to the United States in the 1940s and spent much of his career in Chicago.
Another noteworthy individual was Antanas Gustaitis (1892-1945), a Lithuanian Catholic priest and theologian who served as the Archbishop of Vilnius from 1926 until his death. He played a significant role in the Lithuanian Catholic Church during the interwar period.
While the GUSTAITIS surname is primarily associated with Lithuania, it has also been found in other Baltic and Eastern European countries due to migration and historical ties between these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gustaitis
Among Census respondents with the surname Gustaitis, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gustaitis 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 Gustaitis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 139
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 10
- Two or more races1.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gustaitis
Gustaitis 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
#122,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
+17 bearers (+13.7%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 4,872 places
2020
#119,015
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 154
+13 bearers (+9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 3,299 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #122,314 | 141 | 0.05 | +17 bearers (+13.7%) | Up 4,872 places |
| 2020 | #119,015 | 154 | 0.05 | +13 bearers (+9.2%) | Up 3,299 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 Gustaitis 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 | #122,314 | #119,015 | 2.7% |
| Count | 141 | 154 | 9.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | 3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gustaitis bearers went from 141 to 154 (+9.2% change). The surname moved up 3,299 positions in the national ranking, going from #122,314 to #119,015.
FAQ
Gustaitis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gustaitis?
Name Census estimates that about 177 living Americans carry the surname Gustaitis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,936,465 residents.
How common is Gustaitis?
Gustaitis ranks #119,015 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 154 people with the surname Gustaitis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (177), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Gustaitis.
Has Gustaitis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gustaitis went from 141 recorded bearers to 154. That is an increase of 13 (+9.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #122,314 to #119,015.
What does the Census say about the background of Gustaitis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gustaitis, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Gustaitis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (139 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gustaitis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (6.5%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Gustaitis (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 Gustaitis mean?
A Lituanian surname derived from the personal name Gustas, itself derived from the German name Gustav. 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 Gustaitis (0.05 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 are called Gustaitis?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Gustaitis on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.