2000
#1,015
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,530
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.69
Uncommon Last name
Guthrie
From a place name meaning "windy place" in Scottish Gaelic, or "gutter" in Middle English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 35,081 Americans carry the last name Guthrie. That puts it at #1,126 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,770 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guthrie 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Guthrie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
35K
1 in 9,770
Census rank
#1,126
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
31K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 30,592 bearers of the surname Guthrie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1126th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guthrie, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guthrie
The surname Guthrie originated from the Scottish Borders region and has its roots in an Old English word, "gūð", meaning battle or war, and "rīc", meaning rich or powerful. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive one, referring to a person who was skilled or successful in battle.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Guthrie can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, where it appears as "Guthry" and "Guthery". This historical document contains the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
In the 14th century, the Guthrie family established themselves as landowners in the county of Angus, Scotland. One notable figure from this time was Sir David Guthrie (c. 1330-1400), who served as Lord High Treasurer of Scotland under King Robert III.
The name Guthrie is also associated with the parish of Guthrie in Angus, which likely derived its name from the Guthrie family who held lands in the area. This connection to a specific place further solidified the surname's use and significance.
During the 16th century, the Guthrie family continued to play a prominent role in Scottish history. James Guthrie (1612-1661) was a Scottish Presbyterian minister and one of the most influential religious leaders of the Covenanting movement. He was executed for his opposition to the religious policies of King Charles II.
Another notable figure was John Guthrie (1659-1730), a Scottish philosopher and writer who authored several works on natural philosophy and ethics, including "A Treatise on the Circle and the Hyperbolic Curves" and "A System of Moral Philosophy".
In the literary world, Thomas Anstey Guthrie (1856-1934) was a British novelist and playwright, best known for his humorous novels such as "Vice Versa" and "The Tinted Venus".
The surname Guthrie has also been carried by individuals in other fields, such as Woody Guthrie (1912-1967), an American folk singer and songwriter who had a significant influence on the American folk music revival of the 1960s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guthrie
Among Census respondents with the surname Guthrie, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Guthrie 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 Guthrie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.4% · 25,811
- Black or African American6.1% · 1,872
- Two or more races4.3% · 1,306
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 999
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 389
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 215
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guthrie
Guthrie 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
#1,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,956
+426 bearers (+1.4%)
Per 100,000 10.83
Rank movement Down 80 places
2020
#1,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,592
-1,364 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 10.23
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,015 | 31,530 | 11.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,095 | 31,956 | 10.83 | +426 bearers (+1.4%) | Down 80 places |
| 2020 | #1,126 | 30,592 | 10.23 | -1,364 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 31 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 Guthrie 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 | #1,095 | #1,126 | -2.8% |
| Count | 31,956 | 30,592 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 10.83 | 10.23 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guthrie bearers went from 31,956 to 30,592 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,095 to #1,126.
FAQ
Guthrie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guthrie?
Name Census estimates that about 35,081 living Americans carry the surname Guthrie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,770 residents.
How common is Guthrie?
Guthrie ranks #1,126 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 30,592 people with the surname Guthrie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (35,081), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Guthrie.
Has Guthrie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guthrie went from 31,956 recorded bearers to 30,592. That is a decrease of 1,364 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,095 to #1,126.
What does the Census say about the background of Guthrie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guthrie, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (6.1%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Guthrie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (25,811 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guthrie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.4%), Black (6.1%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Guthrie (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 Guthrie mean?
From a place name meaning "windy place" in Scottish Gaelic, or "gutter" in Middle English. 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 Guthrie (10.23 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 share the surname Guthrie?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.