2000
#12,009
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,387
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Getchell
Derived from a place name meaning "get chalk," referring to a chalk-mining area in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,467 Americans carry the last name Getchell. That puts it at #13,514 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,936 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Getchell 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
2.5K
1 in 138,936
Census rank
#13,514
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,151 bearers of the surname Getchell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13514th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Getchell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Getchell
The surname Getchell is believed to have originated in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is thought to be a variant of the name Getchel, which is derived from the Old English personal name Gaecyl, meaning "a young cuckoo."
The earliest known record of the name Getchell can be found in the Gloucestershire Pipe Rolls of 1271, where it is spelled as "Gecchel." This document refers to a person named William Gecchel, who was a landowner in the county.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various other historical records, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where it is written as "Gechel." This suggests that the name was present in different regions of England during this time period.
The surname Getchell has also been associated with certain place names in England, particularly in the county of Somerset. For instance, the village of Getchell, located near the town of Taunton, is believed to have derived its name from the surname itself.
One notable individual bearing the surname Getchell was Sir John Getchell (1560-1635), a prominent English merchant and politician who served as the Mayor of Bristol in 1615. He was a member of the Society of Merchant Venturers and played a significant role in the economic development of the city.
Another historical figure with the surname Getchell was Thomas Getchell (1628-1689), an English Puritan minister who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in the mid-17th century. He served as the pastor of the First Church of Christ in Salisbury, Massachusetts, and was known for his influential sermons and writings.
In the 18th century, the name Getchell appears in various parish records across England, indicating its continued presence in various regions. For example, the baptismal records of St. Mary's Church in Taunton, Somerset, mention several individuals with the surname Getchell during this period.
One notable 18th-century figure was Samuel Getchell (1730-1802), a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. He fought alongside the British forces and was eventually captured by the Continental Army during the Battle of Saratoga in 1777.
In the 19th century, the surname Getchell continued to be found in various parts of England, as well as in other countries where English settlers had migrated, such as the United States and Canada. One notable individual from this period was William Getchell (1810-1885), an American entrepreneur and inventor who patented several innovations in the field of textile manufacturing.
Overall, the surname Getchell has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval England, with its roots likely stemming from an Old English personal name. While the name has undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, it has persisted and been carried by individuals across different regions and professions, leaving a lasting mark on the historical record.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Getchell
Among Census respondents with the surname Getchell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Getchell 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 Getchell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 1,951
- Two or more races3.6% · 77
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 29
- Black or African American1.1% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Getchell
Getchell 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
#12,208
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,551
+164 bearers (+6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 199 places
2020
#13,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,151
-400 bearers (-15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 1,306 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,009 | 2,387 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,208 | 2,551 | 0.86 | +164 bearers (+6.9%) | Down 199 places |
| 2020 | #13,514 | 2,151 | 0.72 | -400 bearers (-15.7%) | Down 1,306 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 Getchell 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 | #12,208 | #13,514 | -10.7% |
| Count | 2,551 | 2,151 | -15.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.72 | -16.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Getchell bearers went from 2,551 to 2,151 (-15.7% change). The surname moved down 1,306 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,208 to #13,514.
FAQ
Getchell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Getchell?
Name Census estimates that about 2,467 living Americans carry the surname Getchell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,936 residents.
How common is Getchell?
Getchell ranks #13,514 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,151 people with the surname Getchell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,467), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Getchell.
Has Getchell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Getchell went from 2,551 recorded bearers to 2,151. That is a decrease of 400 (-15.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,208 to #13,514.
What does the Census say about the background of Getchell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Getchell, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Getchell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (1,951 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Getchell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Getchell (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 Getchell mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "get chalk," referring to a chalk-mining area in England. 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 Getchell (0.72 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 Getchell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.