2000
#59,453
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 318
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Guterman
A German surname derived from the Middle High German "gütte" meaning "liquid" and "mann" meaning "man," likely referring to someone who worked with liquids.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 345 Americans carry the last name Guterman. That puts it at #70,147 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 993,491 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guterman 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
345
1 in 993,491
Census rank
#70,147
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
301
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 301 bearers of the surname Guterman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 70147th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guterman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guterman
The surname Guterman has its origins in Germany, with the earliest known records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Gut," meaning "good," and the occupational suffix "-er," indicating that the name may have originally referred to someone who worked as a landowner or estate manager.
The name is thought to have emerged in the region of Bavaria, where it was first documented in the town of Augsburg in the mid-1500s. Records from this period include entries for individuals such as Hans Guterman and Katharina Guterman, both of whom were listed as residents of Augsburg.
By the 17th century, the Guterman name had spread to other parts of Germany, with notable individuals bearing the surname appearing in various historical documents. One such figure was Johann Guterman, a prominent merchant from Nuremberg who lived from 1625 to 1698.
As the name continued to spread across Europe, it underwent slight variations in spelling, with forms such as Guttermann, Gutermann, and Gutterman appearing in records from different regions. These variations often reflected local dialects and variations in pronunciation.
In the 18th century, the name Guterman gained prominence with the birth of Johann Gottlieb Guterman (1718-1792), a renowned theologian and philosopher from Saxony. His works on moral philosophy and ethics were widely influential during the Enlightenment period.
Another notable figure bearing the Guterman surname was Karl Friedrich Guterman (1796-1872), a German composer and music theorist who made significant contributions to the development of romantic-era music in Germany.
In the 19th century, the name Guterman was carried across the Atlantic by German immigrants seeking new opportunities in the Americas. One such individual was Friedrich Guterman (1841-1912), who settled in Pennsylvania and became a successful businessman and philanthropist.
As the Guterman family spread worldwide, the name continued to be associated with various professions and achievements. In the 20th century, one of the most prominent individuals with this surname was Max Guterman (1911-1998), a German-born journalist and author who wrote extensively about the Holocaust and the experiences of Jewish refugees during World War II.
While the surname Guterman has its roots in Germany, it has since become a global name, with families bearing this surname found in many countries around the world, each with their own unique stories and histories.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guterman
Among Census respondents with the surname Guterman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Guterman 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 Guterman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 276
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 13
- Two or more races3.3% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guterman
Guterman 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
#67,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 290
-28 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 8,490 places
2020
#70,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 301
+11 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 2,204 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #59,453 | 318 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #67,943 | 290 | 0.10 | -28 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 8,490 places |
| 2020 | #70,147 | 301 | 0.10 | +11 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 2,204 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 Guterman 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 | #67,943 | #70,147 | -3.2% |
| Count | 290 | 301 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guterman bearers went from 290 to 301 (+3.8% change). The surname moved down 2,204 positions in the national ranking, going from #67,943 to #70,147.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Guterman
FAQ
Guterman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guterman?
Name Census estimates that about 345 living Americans carry the surname Guterman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 993,491 residents.
How common is Guterman?
Guterman ranks #70,147 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 301 people with the surname Guterman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (345), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Guterman.
Has Guterman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guterman went from 290 recorded bearers to 301. That is an increase of 11 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #67,943 to #70,147.
What does the Census say about the background of Guterman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guterman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.3%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Guterman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (276 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guterman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (4.3%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Guterman (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 Guterman mean?
A German surname derived from the Middle High German "gütte" meaning "liquid" and "mann" meaning "man," likely referring to someone who worked with liquids. 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 Guterman (0.10 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 common is the surname Guterman?
Find out how common the surname Guterman is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.