Guth last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Guth is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Guth.

Meaning of Guth

A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the Middle High German word "guot," meaning "good" or "virtuous."

Guth, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Guth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Guth in America

Guth is the 9418th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Guth surname appeared 3,453 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Guth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Guth to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 9418 8707 7.85%
Count 3,453 3,474 -0.61%
Proportion per 100k 1.17 1.29 -9.76%

The history of the last name Guth

The surname GUTH is of German origin, with its roots tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "guth," which meant "good" or "virtuous." This name was likely bestowed upon individuals who were perceived as having noble or upright characters.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the GUTH surname can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a 9th-century cartulary compiled at the Benedictine abbey of Corvey in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. This document contains several references to individuals bearing the name, suggesting its widespread use in the region during that time.

The GUTH surname has also been linked to various place names across Germany, such as Guthenbach, Guthen, and Guthmannshausen. These place names may have influenced the spelling variations of the surname, including Guth, Guthe, and Guthen.

One notable bearer of the GUTH surname was Johann Guth (1592-1658), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Erfurt. His works on ethics and moral philosophy were widely influential during the 17th century.

Another prominent figure was Christoph Guth (1635-1698), a German architect and master builder who designed several churches and public buildings in the Baroque style. His most famous work is the Frauenkirche in Dresden, which was rebuilt after being heavily damaged during World War II.

In the field of literature, Wilhelm Guth (1822-1889) was a German poet and novelist known for his works depicting rural life in the Black Forest region. His novels, such as "Village Tales" and "Black Forest Village Stories," gained widespread popularity and helped establish him as a significant voice in German literature.

One of the earliest recorded examples of the GUTH surname in England can be found in the 16th-century parish records of Gloucestershire, where a family by the name of Guth was documented. This suggests that the name had spread beyond Germany by that time, likely through migration or trade.

Another notable bearer of the GUTH name was Johann Guth (1777-1858), a German-American architect and builder who immigrated to Pennsylvania in the early 19th century. He was responsible for designing and constructing several notable buildings in the Lehigh Valley region, including churches and residences.

Throughout its history, the GUTH surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including scholars, artists, architects, and tradesmen. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, the name has since spread across the globe, reflecting the migration patterns and cultural exchanges that have shaped human societies over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Guth

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Guth.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Guth was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.37% 3,293
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.49% 17
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 1.25% 43
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.23% 8
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.04% 36
Hispanic Origin 1.62% 56

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Guth has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.37% 96.49% -1.17%
Black 0.49% 0.35% 33.33%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.25% 0.83% 40.38%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.23% 0.20% 13.95%
Two or More Races 1.04% 1.04% 0.00%
Hispanic 1.62% 1.09% 39.11%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Guth was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Guth, please contact us.

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"Guth last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/guth-surname-popularity/.

"Guth last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/guth-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Guth last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/guth-surname-popularity/.

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