2000
#10,245
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,887
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.07
Rare Last name
Garth
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "enclosed garden" or "triangular piece of land."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,355 Americans carry the last name Garth. That puts it at #10,473 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 102,162 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garth 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 Garth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 102,162
Census rank
#10,473
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,926 bearers of the surname Garth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10473rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garth, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.1%. The next largest groups are White (29.8%) and Hispanic (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garth
The surname Garth is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "gearth" or "geard," meaning an enclosed yard or garden. It was originally a topographic name, given to someone who lived near or worked in a garden or enclosed piece of land.
The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages, and one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, compiled by order of William the Conqueror. Here, it is spelled as "Gerde" and refers to a landowner in the county of Somerset.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the surname began to appear in various forms, such as "Gard," "Gerde," and "Gard de la Garth." These variations reflect the local dialects and spellings of the time. The modern spelling of "Garth" became more standardized in the 16th century.
One notable early bearer of the name was Sir Thomas Garth (c. 1505-1585), a prominent English judge and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He served as a Justice of the Common Pleas and was involved in the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots.
Another historical figure with this surname was Sir Samuel Garth (1661-1719), an English poet, physician, and playwright. He is best known for his satirical mock-heroic poem "The Dispensary," which pokes fun at the conflicts between physicians and apothecaries in London at the time.
In the 18th century, John Garth (1701-1766) was a notable English author and translator. He is remembered for his translation of Ovid's "Metamorphoses" and his work as a literary critic.
Moving into the 19th century, Sir Richard Garth (1820-1903) was a prominent British lawyer and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Bengal in British India. He played a significant role in shaping the legal system of colonial India.
Lastly, John Garth (1944-2022) was a modern-day British author and scholar who was widely regarded as the world's leading expert on J.R.R. Tolkien. His book "Tolkien and the Great War" explored the influence of World War I on Tolkien's writing and life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garth
Among Census respondents with the surname Garth, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.1%. The next largest groups are White (29.8%) and Hispanic (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Garth 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 Garth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American58.1% · 1,701
- White29.8% · 871
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 193
- Two or more races5.2% · 151
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garth
Garth 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
#10,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,059
+172 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 246 places
2020
#10,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,926
-133 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Up 18 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,245 | 2,887 | 1.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,491 | 3,059 | 1.04 | +172 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 246 places |
| 2020 | #10,473 | 2,926 | 0.98 | -133 bearers (-4.3%) | Up 18 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 Garth 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 | #10,491 | #10,473 | 0.2% |
| Count | 3,059 | 2,926 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.04 | 0.98 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garth bearers went from 3,059 to 2,926 (-4.3% change). The surname moved up 18 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,491 to #10,473.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Garth
FAQ
Garth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garth?
Name Census estimates that about 3,355 living Americans carry the surname Garth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 102,162 residents.
How common is Garth?
Garth ranks #10,473 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.98 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 2,926 people with the surname Garth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,355), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.98 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 Garth.
Has Garth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garth went from 3,059 recorded bearers to 2,926. That is a decrease of 133 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,491 to #10,473.
What does the Census say about the background of Garth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garth, the largest self-reported group is Black at 58.1%. The next largest groups are White (29.8%) and Hispanic (6.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Garth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.1% (1,701 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (58.1%), White (29.8%), Hispanic (6.6%). 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 Garth (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 Garth mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "enclosed garden" or "triangular piece of land." 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 Garth (0.98 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 surname Garth?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.