2000
#8,707
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,474
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.29
Rare Last name
Guth
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the Middle High German word "guot," meaning "good" or "virtuous."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,594 Americans carry the last name Guth. That puts it at #9,847 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,368 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guth 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
3.6K
1 in 95,368
Census rank
#9,847
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,134 bearers of the surname Guth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9847th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guth, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guth
Among Census respondents with the surname Guth, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Guth 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 Guth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 2,940
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 90
- Two or more races2.6% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 16
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guth
Guth 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
#9,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,453
-21 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 711 places
2020
#9,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,134
-319 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Down 429 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,707 | 3,474 | 1.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,418 | 3,453 | 1.17 | -21 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 711 places |
| 2020 | #9,847 | 3,134 | 1.05 | -319 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 429 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 Guth 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 | #9,418 | #9,847 | -4.6% |
| Count | 3,453 | 3,134 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.17 | 1.05 | -10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guth bearers went from 3,453 to 3,134 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 429 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,418 to #9,847.
FAQ
Guth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guth?
Name Census estimates that about 3,594 living Americans carry the surname Guth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,368 residents.
How common is Guth?
Guth ranks #9,847 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,134 people with the surname Guth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,594), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Guth.
Has Guth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guth went from 3,453 recorded bearers to 3,134. That is a decrease of 319 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,418 to #9,847.
What does the Census say about the background of Guth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guth, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Guth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (2,940 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Guth (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 Guth mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname derived from the Middle High German word "guot," meaning "good" or "virtuous." 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 Guth (1.05 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 Americans have the surname Guth?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.