2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gwyther
A surname derived from a Welsh place name or location.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Gwyther. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gwyther 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gwyther with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Gwyther in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gwyther, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gwyther
The surname Gwyther originated in England during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "gythere," which means a conflux or meeting of streams. This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived near the junction of two rivers or streams.
Gwyther is an Anglo-Saxon name that first emerged in the county of Worcestershire. It is recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landholdings and properties across England and parts of Wales commissioned by William the Conqueror. The earliest known bearer of the name was Osbert Gwyther, mentioned in records from the village of Abberton in Worcestershire during the late 11th century.
By the 13th century, the surname had spread to other parts of England, with various spellings appearing in historical records, such as Gwythere, Gwithere, and Gwithor. One notable individual was Sir John Gwyther, a knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War in the mid-14th century.
In the 16th century, the name was found in the parish records of several counties, including Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. William Gwyther (1540-1615) was a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Somerset, owning estates in the village of Batcombe.
Another notable bearer of the name was Richard Gwyther (1603-1676), a clergyman and academic who served as the Provost of Eton College from 1645 to 1676. He played a significant role in the college's affairs during the English Civil War and the Interregnum period.
During the 18th century, the Gwyther family had established themselves as landowners and farmers in various parts of southwestern England. John Gwyther (1725-1799) was a successful merchant and ship owner based in Bristol, involved in the trade with the American colonies.
Throughout its history, the surname Gwyther has maintained a strong presence in the counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire, where many of its bearers have been prominent members of local communities and contributed to the region's history and development.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gwyther
Among Census respondents with the surname Gwyther, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gwyther 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 Gwyther surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.2% · 100
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gwyther
Gwyther 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,800 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,454 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 7,800 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 2,454 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 Gwyther 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 | #156,044 | #153,590 | 1.6% |
| Count | 104 | 104 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gwyther bearers went from 104 to 104 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 2,454 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #153,590.
FAQ
Gwyther surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gwyther?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Gwyther. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Gwyther?
Gwyther ranks #153,590 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 104 people with the surname Gwyther. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), 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 Gwyther.
Has Gwyther become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gwyther went from 104 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Gwyther?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gwyther, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (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 Gwyther in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gwyther appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.2%), Two or More Races (1.9%), Hispanic (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 Gwyther (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 Gwyther mean?
A surname derived from a Welsh place name or location. 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 Gwyther (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 Americans have the surname Gwyther?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.