2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Guttentag
A German surname meaning "good day" or "pleasant day".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Guttentag. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guttentag 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Guttentag in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guttentag, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guttentag
The surname Guttentag is of German origin, derived from the words "gut" meaning "good" and "tag" meaning "day". It likely originated in the Middle Ages as a descriptive name for someone with a cheerful or optimistic disposition, or perhaps someone who wished others a good day.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Guttentag can be found in the parish records of the town of Nuremberg, dating back to the 16th century. A certain Johann Guttentag is mentioned as a resident of the town in 1537.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various church records and tax rolls across several German states, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Prussia. It seems to have been particularly prevalent in the regions around Nuremberg, Frankfurt, and Berlin.
One notable bearer of the name was Heinrich Guttentag (1680-1754), a respected merchant and civic leader in the city of Dresden. He was instrumental in establishing trade routes between Dresden and other European cities, and his name appears in numerous business contracts and correspondence from that era.
Another individual of note was Katharina Guttentag (1745-1819), a renowned midwife who practiced in the town of Bamberg. She is credited with helping to deliver over 5,000 babies during her career and was highly regarded for her skill and compassion.
In the 19th century, the name Guttentag began to appear more frequently in records of German immigrants to the United States and other countries. One such immigrant was Johann Guttentag (1825-1901), who settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and became a successful brewer and tavern owner.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm Guttentag (1860-1938), a German-born architect who designed several prominent buildings in New York City, including the famous Guttentag Mansion on Fifth Avenue, which still stands today.
As the 20th century dawned, the name Guttentag continued to be found among German-American families, as well as in various parts of Germany itself. One prominent individual was the writer and philosopher Else Guttentag (1905-1988), whose works explored themes of existentialism and the human condition.
Overall, the surname Guttentag has a rich history dating back centuries in German-speaking regions, and has been borne by numerous individuals of note, from merchants and civic leaders to artists and intellectuals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guttentag
Among Census respondents with the surname Guttentag, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Guttentag 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 Guttentag surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 5
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guttentag
Guttentag 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+9 bearers (+8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 190 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-12 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,069 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +9 bearers (+8.7%) | Down 190 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 9,069 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 Guttentag 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 | #146,201 | #155,270 | -6.2% |
| Count | 113 | 101 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guttentag bearers went from 113 to 101 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 9,069 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #155,270.
FAQ
Guttentag surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guttentag?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Guttentag. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Guttentag?
Guttentag ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Guttentag. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Guttentag.
Has Guttentag become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guttentag went from 113 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 12 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Guttentag?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guttentag, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Guttentag in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guttentag appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (5.0%), Black (1.0%). 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 Guttentag (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 Guttentag mean?
A German surname meaning "good day" or "pleasant day". 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 Guttentag (0.03 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 are called Guttentag?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Guttentag on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.