2000
#121,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gutterson
A variant of the English surname "Guthrie" derived from a Celtic personal name meaning "windy place".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Gutterson. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gutterson 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Gutterson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gutterson, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gutterson
The surname Gutterson is of English origin, deriving from the Old English personal name "Guthhere" or "Gutherd," which means "battle army." This name was popular during the Anglo-Saxon period, particularly in the 7th and 8th centuries.
The name Gutterson is believed to have emerged in the region of Yorkshire, England, where it was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Gutherdson." This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, provides one of the earliest written records of the name.
During the Middle Ages, the name Gutterson appeared in various spellings, such as Gutherdson, Guthertson, and Guthirson, reflecting the regional variations and phonetic changes over time. The name was often associated with places like Gutherston or Gutherton, which may have been derived from the name itself or vice versa.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gutterson is found in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, where a Robert Gutterson is listed as a resident of Beverley. In the 15th century, a John Gutterson is mentioned in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, dated 1458.
Notable individuals with the surname Gutterson include:
1. Sir Thomas Gutterson (1565-1631), an English merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London from 1623 to 1624.
2. William Gutterson (1708-1785), a British soldier and military engineer who served in the American Revolutionary War.
3. Mary Gutterson (1790-1872), an English author and poet known for her works on religious and moral themes.
4. John Gutterson (1832-1912), an American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Gutterson Textile Company in Rhode Island.
5. Henry Gutterson (1876-1947), a British artist and illustrator renowned for his landscapes and portraiture.
While the surname Gutterson is not among the most common in the English-speaking world, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and can be traced back to its Anglo-Saxon roots in the Yorkshire region of England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gutterson
Among Census respondents with the surname Gutterson, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gutterson 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 Gutterson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.3% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gutterson
Gutterson 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-16 bearers (-12.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,361 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-9 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,198 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,780 | 131 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.2%) | Down 22,361 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 8,198 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 Gutterson 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 | #144,141 | #152,339 | -5.7% |
| Count | 115 | 106 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gutterson bearers went from 115 to 106 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 8,198 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #152,339.
FAQ
Gutterson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gutterson?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Gutterson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Gutterson?
Gutterson ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Gutterson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Gutterson.
Has Gutterson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gutterson went from 115 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Gutterson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gutterson, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Gutterson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.3% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gutterson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.3%), Hispanic (2.8%), Black (0.9%). 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 Gutterson (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 Gutterson mean?
A variant of the English surname "Guthrie" derived from a Celtic personal name meaning "windy place". 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 Gutterson (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 common is the surname Gutterson?
Want to know how many people have the last name Gutterson? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.