2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gutscher
An occupational surname deriving from the German verb "gutschen" meaning to sluice or drain water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Gutscher. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gutscher 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Gutscher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gutscher, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gutscher
The surname Gutscher is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia. The name is derived from the Middle High German word "gutsch," which means "baker" or "miller." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been involved in the baking or milling trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gutscher can be found in the town records of Augsburg, dating back to the late 1500s. These records mention a Hans Gutscher, who was a baker by profession. Another early reference to the name is found in a 17th-century document from the city of Ulm, where a Konrad Gutscher is listed as a resident.
Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, variations of the name, such as Gutscher, Guttscher, and Gutzscher, can be found in various German records and documents. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and differences in spelling conventions at the time. Notable individuals with the surname Gutscher during this period include Johann Gutscher (1640-1712), a prominent baker and guild member in the city of Munich, and Anna Gutscher (1678-1743), who was recognized for her charitable work in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
As the centuries progressed, the Gutscher surname spread beyond its origins in southern Germany. In the late 18th century, records show a Wilhelm Gutscher (1765-1842) who was a respected miller in the village of Heidenheim an der Brenz in the state of Baden-Württemberg. Another notable figure was Friedrich Gutscher (1801-1879), a baker and entrepreneur from the town of Memmingen, who established a successful bakery business that continued for generations.
Moving into the 19th century, the surname Gutscher continued to appear in various parts of Germany. One notable example is Karl Gutscher (1828-1896), a renowned baker and confectioner from the city of Leipzig, who was renowned for his innovative techniques and recipes. Another individual of note was Johanna Gutscher (1842-1912), a respected teacher and educator from the town of Heilbronn.
As German immigration to other parts of the world increased during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Gutscher surname began to spread further afield. However, detailed historical records and references become more scarce and scattered beyond this point, as the surname dispersed across various regions and countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gutscher
Among Census respondents with the surname Gutscher, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gutscher 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 Gutscher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.5% · 102
- Two or more races7.0% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gutscher
Gutscher 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-14 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 24,120 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+11 bearers (+10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,739 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | -14 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 24,120 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.7%) | Up 10,739 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 Gutscher 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 | #157,234 | #146,495 | 6.8% |
| Count | 103 | 114 | 10.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gutscher bearers went from 103 to 114 (+10.7% change). The surname moved up 10,739 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #146,495.
FAQ
Gutscher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gutscher?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Gutscher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Gutscher?
Gutscher ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Gutscher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Gutscher.
Has Gutscher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gutscher went from 103 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 11 (+10.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Gutscher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gutscher, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.0%) and Hispanic (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 Gutscher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.5% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gutscher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.5%), Two or More Races (7.0%), Hispanic (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 Gutscher (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 Gutscher mean?
An occupational surname deriving from the German verb "gutschen" meaning to sluice or drain water. 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 Gutscher (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 Gutscher?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Gutscher is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.