Guttenberg
A German locational surname meaning "from Gutenberg", a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 446 Americans carry the last name Guttenberg. That puts it at #52,851 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 768,507 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guttenberg surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
446
1 in 768,507
Census rank
#52,851
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
392
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 392 bearers of the surname Guttenberg in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 52851st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guttenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guttenberg
The surname Guttenberg is of German origin, and its earliest known recordings date back to the 15th century. It is believed to have originated from the town of Gutenberg, located in the Rheinhessen region of western Germany. The name is derived from the Middle High German words "guot" meaning "good" and "berg" meaning "mountain" or "hill," suggesting that the name referred to someone living near a good or fertile hill or mountain.
One of the most notable historical figures associated with the name Guttenberg is Johannes Gutenberg, the renowned inventor of the movable-type printing press in the mid-15th century. Born around 1400 in the town of Mainz, Germany, Gutenberg's revolutionary invention revolutionized the spread of knowledge and information, paving the way for the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment.
Another notable individual with the Guttenberg surname was Carl Christian Guttenberg, a German author and philosopher who lived from 1796 to 1878. He is best known for his work "Erdkunde und Physik" (Earth Studies and Physics), which explored the relationship between geography and natural sciences.
In the 19th century, the Guttenberg name gained prominence in the United States, with several individuals bearing the surname making significant contributions. One such figure was Gottfried Dittmar Guttenberg, a German-American painter and lithographer who was active in the mid-1800s. His works, which often depicted landscapes and scenes of daily life, are highly regarded for their attention to detail and realistic portrayal of the American frontier.
Another notable American with the Guttenberg surname was Julius Guttenberg, a German-American businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1836 to 1920. He co-founded the Guttenberg Brewing Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which became one of the largest breweries in the United States during the late 19th century.
In more recent times, the Guttenberg surname has been associated with several prominent political figures, including Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, a German politician who served as the Federal Minister of Economics and Technology from 2009 to 2011. Despite his political success, he resigned from his position in 2011 due to allegations of plagiarism in his doctoral dissertation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guttenberg
Among Census respondents with the surname Guttenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Guttenberg bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Guttenberg surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4%
- Unknown or suppressed2.3%
- Hispanic or Latino1.8%
- Two or more races1.5%
Year on year
2000 vs 2010 Census
How has the Guttenberg surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2000 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #54,269 | #52,851 | 2.6% |
| Count | 356 | 392 | 10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.13 | 0.13 | 0.0% |
Between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the number of Guttenberg bearers went from 356 to 392 (+10.1% change). The surname moved up 1,418 positions in the national ranking, going from #54,269 to #52,851.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Guttenberg
FAQ
Guttenberg surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Guttenberg?
The surname Guttenberg holds position #52,851 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 446 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 0.13 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Guttenberg surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guttenberg, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.