2000
#141,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Guthy
Old German surname meaning "good, wealthy" from the same roots as modern "gut".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Guthy. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guthy 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Guthy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guthy, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guthy
The surname "GUTHY" is believed to have originated in Germany, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 16th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "gutt," meaning "good" or "virtuous," indicating that it may have been initially used as a descriptive surname to distinguish an individual of good character.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the "Württembergisches Klosterbuch," a historical document from the 16th century that chronicles the inhabitants of various monasteries in the region of Württemberg, Germany. Here, the name "Guthy" is listed as belonging to a resident of the Maulbronn Monastery, suggesting that the name was already in use during that period.
In the 17th century, records from the town of Esslingen, located near Stuttgart, show several families bearing the surname "Guthy." This indicates that the name had become more established and was likely associated with a specific geographical area within Germany.
Notable individuals with the surname "Guthy" include Johann Guthy (1592-1654), a German Lutheran theologian and author who served as a professor at the University of Tübingen. Another notable figure was Friedrich Guthy (1799-1869), a German businessman and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the textile industry in Württemberg.
In the 19th century, the name "Guthy" also appears in records from other parts of Germany, such as Bavaria and Saxony, indicating that the name had spread beyond its original region. One notable individual from this period was Carl Guthy (1829-1903), a German-born American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Guthy Manufacturing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Other notable individuals with the surname "Guthy" include the German painter and artist Hermann Guthy (1835-1901), known for his landscapes and rural scenes, and the American businessman and entrepreneur Bill Guthy (born 1957), co-founder of the successful direct-response marketing company Guthy-Renker.
While the surname "Guthy" has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and can now be found in various countries. However, its earliest known origins and historical references remain firmly rooted in the German regions of Württemberg and surrounding areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guthy
Among Census respondents with the surname Guthy, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Guthy 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 Guthy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino10.2% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.1% · 6
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guthy
Guthy 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+2 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,607 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+8 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,884 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #141,788 | 108 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 7,607 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.3%) | Up 5,884 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 Guthy 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 | #149,395 | #143,511 | 3.9% |
| Count | 110 | 118 | 7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guthy bearers went from 110 to 118 (+7.3% change). The surname moved up 5,884 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #143,511.
FAQ
Guthy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guthy?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Guthy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Guthy?
Guthy ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Guthy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Guthy.
Has Guthy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guthy went from 110 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 8 (+7.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Guthy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guthy, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.1%). 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 Guthy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guthy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.2%), Hispanic (10.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (5.1%). 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 Guthy (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 Guthy mean?
Old German surname meaning "good, wealthy" from the same roots as modern "gut". 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 Guthy (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 last name Guthy?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Guthy on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.