2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gutcher
A German dialect name likely referring to one who worked as an executioner or torturer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Gutcher. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gutcher 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Gutcher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gutcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.9%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gutcher
The surname Gutcher originated in Germany in the medieval period, likely derived from the Old German word "gut" meaning "good" or "virtuous." It was initially used as a descriptive name for someone with a positive or admirable personality trait.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gutcher appears in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval charters and manuscripts from the 12th century, which mentions a "Henricus Gutcher" from the town of Mainz in the year 1189.
In the 13th century, the name Gutcher was found in various records throughout the German states, including the Breviarium Ecclesiae Herbipolensis, a document from the Diocese of Würzburg, which listed a "Cunradus Gutcher" in 1241.
During the 15th century, the name Gutcher was also present in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. The Bamberger Bürgerbuch, a register of citizens in the city of Bamberg, included an entry for "Hans Gutcher" in 1476.
One notable individual with the surname Gutcher was Johannes Gutcher, a German theologian and philosopher who lived from 1505 to 1578. He studied at the University of Wittenberg and later became a professor at the University of Marburg.
Another significant figure with the name Gutcher was Michael Gutcher, a German artist and engraver born in 1628 in Nuremberg. He is known for his detailed etchings and engravings depicting scenes from the Bible and classical mythology.
In the 17th century, the Gutcher family had established themselves in the town of Augsburg, where a "Georg Gutcher" was recorded as a merchant and guild member in 1642.
The name Gutcher also appeared in various place names and older spellings of locations throughout Germany, such as "Gutcherhausen" in Bavaria and "Gutchersdorf" in Saxony, both of which likely derived from the surname.
Other notable individuals with the surname Gutcher include Heinrich Gutcher, a German composer born in 1785, known for his church music and choral works, and Wilhelm Gutcher, a 19th-century German architect and urban planner who designed several public buildings and city layouts in Berlin between 1830 and 1870.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gutcher
Among Census respondents with the surname Gutcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.9%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gutcher 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 Gutcher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino12.9% · 15
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gutcher
Gutcher 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
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-8 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,501 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,888 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 15,501 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 3,888 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 Gutcher 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 | #141,140 | #145,028 | -2.8% |
| Count | 118 | 116 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gutcher bearers went from 118 to 116 (-1.7% change). The surname moved down 3,888 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #145,028.
FAQ
Gutcher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gutcher?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Gutcher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Gutcher?
Gutcher ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Gutcher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Gutcher.
Has Gutcher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gutcher went from 118 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Gutcher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gutcher, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.9%) and Two or More Races (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 Gutcher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gutcher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Hispanic (12.9%), Two or More Races (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 Gutcher (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 Gutcher mean?
A German dialect name likely referring to one who worked as an executioner or torturer. 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 Gutcher (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 Americans have the surname Gutcher?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.