2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gustwiller
A German locational surname referring to someone from a place named Gustwiller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Gustwiller. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gustwiller 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Gustwiller in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gustwiller, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gustwiller
The surname Gustwiller has its origins in the German-speaking regions of Europe, particularly in the area now known as Switzerland. It is believed to have emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century.
The name Gustwiller is likely derived from a combination of the Germanic personal name "Gust" or "Gust-" and the suffix "-willer," which is derived from the Middle High German word "wilre," meaning a small village or settlement. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived in a village or hamlet associated with a person named Gust or a similar name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gustwiller can be found in the historical records of the Canton of Bern, Switzerland, dating back to the 15th century. A document from 1472 mentions a certain Hans Gustwiller, who was a landowner in the region.
During the 16th century, the name Gustwiller appears to have spread to other parts of Switzerland and neighboring areas, such as the Alsace region of France. In the Alsatian town of Mulhouse, records from the late 1500s mention a family with the surname Gustwiller, who were prominent members of the local community.
One notable figure with the surname Gustwiller was Johann Gustwiller (1629-1692), a Swiss theologian and pastor who served in the city of Basel. His writings on Reformed theology and biblical exegesis were widely read and influential during his time.
Another individual of note was Marie-Anne Gustwiller (1767-1843), a French painter and artist from the Alsace region. She is known for her portraits and landscapes, which captured the beauty of the Alsatian countryside.
In the 19th century, the surname Gustwiller began to appear in records from other parts of Europe, likely due to migration and the spread of families. For instance, there are records of Gustwillers living in the German states of Baden and Württemberg during this period.
One notable figure from this era was Friedrich Gustwiller (1812-1879), a German architect and engineer who was involved in the construction of several notable buildings in the city of Stuttgart.
Another individual of note was Emilie Gustwiller (1848-1924), a Swiss educator and women's rights activist. She played a significant role in advocating for improved educational opportunities for women in Switzerland during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
As families continued to migrate and settle in different parts of the world, the surname Gustwiller spread further afield, though it remains relatively uncommon outside of its regions of origin in Switzerland, France, and Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gustwiller
Among Census respondents with the surname Gustwiller, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gustwiller 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 Gustwiller surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 108
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gustwiller
Gustwiller 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,892 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-9 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,582 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 8,892 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 10,582 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 Gustwiller 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 | #132,206 | #142,788 | -8.0% |
| Count | 128 | 119 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gustwiller bearers went from 128 to 119 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 10,582 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #142,788.
FAQ
Gustwiller surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gustwiller?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Gustwiller. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Gustwiller?
Gustwiller ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Gustwiller. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Gustwiller.
Has Gustwiller become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gustwiller went from 128 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Gustwiller?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gustwiller, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (1.7%). 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 Gustwiller in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gustwiller appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Black (1.7%). 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 Gustwiller (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 Gustwiller mean?
A German locational surname referring to someone from a place named Gustwiller. 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 Gustwiller (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 Gustwiller?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.