2000
#16,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,662
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.62
Rare Last name
Guttman
A surname likely derived from a German/Jewish name meaning "good man" or "pious man."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,288 Americans carry the last name Guttman. That puts it at #14,416 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 149,805 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guttman 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
2.3K
1 in 149,805
Census rank
#14,416
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,995 bearers of the surname Guttman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14416th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guttman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guttman
The surname Guttman is of German origin, and can be traced back to the 12th century in the region of Bavaria. It is believed to be derived from the Old German word "gūt" meaning "good," and "man" meaning "man," essentially translating to "good man." This suggests that the name may have been initially bestowed upon someone known for their virtuous or reputable character.
In the early 13th century, records indicate the presence of a family bearing the name Guttman in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located in the northern part of Bavaria. The name is also found in various medieval manuscripts and chronicles from the region, often referring to landowners or members of the local nobility.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Guttman was Heinrich Guttman, who lived in the city of Nuremberg in the late 14th century. He was a prominent merchant and member of the city council, playing a significant role in the trade and governance of the city during his lifetime.
In the 15th century, the Guttman family established themselves in the town of Augsburg, where they became respected members of the local community. Johannes Guttman (1420-1498), a renowned scholar and theologian, hailed from this branch of the family and made significant contributions to the intellectual and religious discourse of his time.
During the 16th century, the Guttman name spread beyond Bavaria, with several notable individuals emerging in different parts of Germany. One such individual was Hans Guttman (1525-1592), a skilled artisan and metalworker from the city of Cologne, whose intricate metalwork adorned many churches and cathedrals throughout the region.
As the Guttman family continued to expand and disperse throughout Germany, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, including Gutmann, Guttmann, and Guttman. Despite these minor differences, the name's origins and essence remained consistent.
Other notable figures with the surname Guttman include Johann Guttman (1677-1745), a celebrated composer and organist from the city of Leipzig, whose works were highly regarded during the Baroque period. In the 19th century, Friedrich Guttman (1815-1890), a prominent jurist and legal scholar, made significant contributions to the development of German civil law.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guttman
Among Census respondents with the surname Guttman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Guttman 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 Guttman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 1,902
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 55
- Two or more races1.2% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guttman
Guttman 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
#15,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,826
+164 bearers (+9.9%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 116 places
2020
#14,416
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,995
+169 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 1,496 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,028 | 1,662 | 0.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,912 | 1,826 | 0.62 | +164 bearers (+9.9%) | Up 116 places |
| 2020 | #14,416 | 1,995 | 0.67 | +169 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 1,496 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 Guttman 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 | #15,912 | #14,416 | 9.4% |
| Count | 1,826 | 1,995 | 9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.67 | 7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guttman bearers went from 1,826 to 1,995 (+9.3% change). The surname moved up 1,496 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,912 to #14,416.
FAQ
Guttman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guttman?
Name Census estimates that about 2,288 living Americans carry the surname Guttman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 149,805 residents.
How common is Guttman?
Guttman ranks #14,416 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,995 people with the surname Guttman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,288), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Guttman.
Has Guttman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guttman went from 1,826 recorded bearers to 1,995. That is an increase of 169 (+9.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,912 to #14,416.
What does the Census say about the background of Guttman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guttman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Guttman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (1,902 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guttman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (1.2%). 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 Guttman (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 Guttman mean?
A surname likely derived from a German/Jewish name meaning "good man" or "pious man." 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 Guttman (0.67 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 share the surname Guttman?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.