2010
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gyatso
A Tibetan surname referring to an individual from the Gyatso family or monastery.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 203 Americans carry the last name Gyatso. That puts it at #107,024 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,688,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gyatso 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
203
1 in 1,688,445
Census rank
#107,024
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
177
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 177 bearers of the surname Gyatso in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 107024th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gyatso, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gyatso
The surname Gyatso is of Tibetan origin, originating from the Tibetan region of Central Asia. It is believed to have emerged during the 15th century, when Tibet was a powerful Buddhist kingdom.
Gyatso is derived from the Tibetan words "rgya-mtsho," which translates to "great ocean" or "vast sea." This name likely held symbolic meaning for Tibetan Buddhists, representing the boundless nature of wisdom and enlightenment.
One of the earliest known references to the name Gyatso can be found in ancient Tibetan Buddhist texts and manuscripts from the 15th and 16th centuries. These texts often mention Buddhist scholars, monks, and lamas bearing the surname Gyatso.
The most notable individual with the surname Gyatso is undoubtedly Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, born in 1935. He is the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism and has been a prominent advocate for human rights and non-violence.
Another prominent figure with the name Gyatso is Geshe Ngawang Gyatso (1871-1936), a renowned Tibetan Buddhist scholar and philosopher who played a significant role in the preservation and transmission of Tibetan Buddhist teachings.
In the 17th century, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso (1617-1682) served as the 5th Dalai Lama and is remembered for his efforts in unifying Tibet and promoting the study of Buddhist philosophy.
Yeshe Gyatso (1713-1793) was a 19th-century Tibetan Buddhist scholar and teacher who made significant contributions to the understanding of Buddhist philosophy and psychology.
Lobsang Gyatso (1816-1858) was a Tibetan Buddhist master and teacher who played a crucial role in the revival of Buddhism in Mongolia during the 19th century.
The surname Gyatso continues to be widely used among Tibetan Buddhists and is often associated with individuals who have dedicated their lives to the study and practice of Buddhism.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gyatso
Among Census respondents with the surname Gyatso, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gyatso 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 Gyatso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander92.7% · 164
- White5.6% · 10
- Two or more races1.1% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gyatso
Gyatso appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#107,024
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 177
+46 bearers (+35.1%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 22,801 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #107,024 | 177 | 0.06 | +46 bearers (+35.1%) | Up 22,801 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 Gyatso 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 | #129,825 | #107,024 | 17.6% |
| Count | 131 | 177 | 35.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.06 | 48.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gyatso bearers went from 131 to 177 (+35.1% change). The surname moved up 22,801 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #107,024.
FAQ
Gyatso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gyatso?
Name Census estimates that about 203 living Americans carry the surname Gyatso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,688,445 residents.
How common is Gyatso?
Gyatso ranks #107,024 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 177 people with the surname Gyatso. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (203), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Gyatso.
Has Gyatso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gyatso went from 131 recorded bearers to 177. That is an increase of 46 (+35.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #129,825 to #107,024.
What does the Census say about the background of Gyatso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gyatso, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.7%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gyatso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (164 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gyatso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (92.7%), White (5.6%), Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Gyatso (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 Gyatso mean?
A Tibetan surname referring to an individual from the Gyatso family or monastery. 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 Gyatso (0.06 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 have the last name Gyatso?
If you just want to know how many people are called Gyatso, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.