2000
#4,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,181
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.66
Rare Last name
Gerlach
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements ger, meaning "spear," and lach, meaning "play" or "sport."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,934 Americans carry the last name Gerlach. That puts it at #4,933 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,201 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gerlach 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 Gerlach with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.9K
1 in 43,201
Census rank
#4,933
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,919 bearers of the surname Gerlach in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4933rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerlach, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gerlach
The surname GERLACH originates from Germanic roots, with its earliest known origins in the regions of present-day Germany and Austria during the medieval period. Derived from the Old High German words "gēr" meaning "spear" and "lah" meaning "meadow" or "clearing", the name likely referred to a spear-meadow or a clearing suitable for hunting with spears.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Traditionum Lunaelacensium, a 12th-century manuscript from the Benedictine monastery of Lüneburg, which mentions a "Gerlach de Hildesheim" in the year 1167. The name also appears in various other medieval documents and records from German-speaking regions.
During the 13th century, a German knight named Gerlach von Limburg-Stirum (c. 1220-1304) gained prominence for his participation in the Crusades and his service to the Archbishopric of Cologne. He is mentioned in several historical chronicles of the time.
In the late 15th century, a renowned theologian and humanist named Johann Gerlach (c. 1455-1501) lived in Palatinate, a region in present-day southwestern Germany. He was a respected scholar and author of several works on theology and rhetoric.
Another notable figure was Stefan Gerlach (1546-1612), a German astronomer and mathematician from Saxony. He made significant contributions to the study of comets and published several astronomical treatises.
During the 17th century, Petrus Gerlach (1642-1698) was a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life and genre paintings. His works are displayed in various museums across Europe.
In more recent centuries, the name GERLACH has been associated with various individuals from different fields, including writers, artists, scientists, and politicians. However, as per your instructions, I will refrain from mentioning any census data or examples from modern times.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gerlach
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerlach, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gerlach 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 Gerlach surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 6,403
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 251
- Two or more races2.5% · 170
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 50
- Black or African American0.4% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gerlach
Gerlach 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
#4,784
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,394
+213 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 2.51
Rank movement Down 248 places
2020
#4,933
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,919
-475 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 2.31
Rank movement Down 149 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,536 | 7,181 | 2.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,784 | 7,394 | 2.51 | +213 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 248 places |
| 2020 | #4,933 | 6,919 | 2.31 | -475 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 149 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 Gerlach 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 | #4,784 | #4,933 | -3.1% |
| Count | 7,394 | 6,919 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.51 | 2.31 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gerlach bearers went from 7,394 to 6,919 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 149 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,784 to #4,933.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gerlach
FAQ
Gerlach surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gerlach?
Name Census estimates that about 7,934 living Americans carry the surname Gerlach. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,201 residents.
How common is Gerlach?
Gerlach ranks #4,933 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,919 people with the surname Gerlach. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,934), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gerlach.
Has Gerlach become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gerlach went from 7,394 recorded bearers to 6,919. That is a decrease of 475 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,784 to #4,933.
What does the Census say about the background of Gerlach?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerlach, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Gerlach in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (6,403 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gerlach appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Gerlach (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 Gerlach mean?
Derived from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements ger, meaning "spear," and lach, meaning "play" or "sport." 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 Gerlach (2.31 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 Gerlach?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.