2000
#127,948
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Guthals
A German surname likely derived from a combination of words meaning "good" and "throat" or "voice".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Guthals. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guthals 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Guthals in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guthals, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guthals
The surname GUTHALS originated in Germany during the late medieval period, likely in the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old German words "gut," meaning "good," and "hals," referring to the neck or throat. The name may have initially been a descriptive nickname for someone with a strong or prominent neck.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GUTHALS surname can be found in the town records of Cologne, Germany, dating back to the 1400s. There are also mentions of individuals with the name in various German church records and legal documents from the same era.
In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Hans GUTHALS (1522-1597) was a respected merchant and guild member in the city of Nuremberg. He played a significant role in the local trade and commerce during his lifetime.
Another notable bearer of the GUTHALS name was Johann GUTHALS (1632-1701), a Lutheran pastor and theologian from Saxony. He was known for his writings on religious matters and his contributions to the Protestant Reformation.
The GUTHALS surname can also be traced back to the village of Guthalsdorf, located in the state of Bavaria, Germany. This place name likely influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in that region.
In the 18th century, a German immigrant named Friedrich GUTHALS (1741-1818) settled in Pennsylvania, United States. He and his descendants helped establish the GUTHALS lineage in the new world.
Another individual of note was Wilhelm GUTHALS (1876-1942), a German artist and painter who was known for his landscapes and portraiture. His works were exhibited in galleries throughout Europe during the early 20th century.
While the GUTHALS surname originated in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and intermarriage. However, the name remains most prevalent in regions with strong German heritage and ancestry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guthals
Among Census respondents with the surname Guthals, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Guthals 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 Guthals surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 6
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guthals
Guthals 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-3 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,280 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,081 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,948 | 123 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 11,280 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 2,081 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 Guthals 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 | #139,228 | #141,309 | -1.5% |
| Count | 120 | 121 | 0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guthals bearers went from 120 to 121 (+0.8% change). The surname moved down 2,081 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #141,309.
FAQ
Guthals surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guthals?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Guthals. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Guthals?
Guthals ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Guthals. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Guthals.
Has Guthals become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guthals went from 120 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 1 (+0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Guthals?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guthals, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Guthals in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guthals appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (5.0%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Guthals (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 Guthals mean?
A German surname likely derived from a combination of words meaning "good" and "throat" or "voice". 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 Guthals (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 Guthals?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.