2000
#10,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,872
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Getty
Derived from a Welsh place name meaning "boundary" or "border," likely referring to someone who lived near a border.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,879 Americans carry the last name Getty. That puts it at #11,914 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 119,053 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Getty 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 Getty with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 119,053
Census rank
#11,914
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,511 bearers of the surname Getty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11914th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Getty, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Getty
The surname Getty originated in England during the medieval period, specifically in the county of Oxfordshire. It is derived from the Old English words "geat" meaning "gate" and "hyrde" meaning "keeper" or "guardian." The name likely referred to someone who guarded the gates of a town or manor.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Getty dates back to the 13th century in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where it appears as "William le Gatehyrde." This document was a census and tax record compiled during the reign of King Edward I.
In the 14th century, the name was also found in the Cartulary of Oseney Abbey, a medieval monastic manuscript from Oxfordshire, where it was spelled as "Gatehuerd." This variation highlights the fluidity of spelling during that time period.
One notable historical figure bearing the surname Getty was John Getty, a 16th-century English politician and landowner from Oxfordshire. He served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Woodstock in 1563 during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another prominent individual with the surname was Sir William Getty, who lived in the 17th century. He was a wealthy merchant and landowner in Oxfordshire and played a crucial role in the English Civil War, supporting the Parliamentarian cause against King Charles I.
In the 18th century, the name was found in various parish records and legal documents across Oxfordshire and neighboring counties, such as Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. Spellings included "Gettie," "Gettye," and "Getty."
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Getty was John Paul Getty, an American-born British philanthropist, art collector, and book collector who lived from 1892 to 1976. He founded the Getty Oil Company and was once the richest person in the world.
Another notable figure was Gordon Getty, born in 1933, an American businessman, philanthropist, and classical music composer. He is the son of J. Paul Getty and has continued his father's legacy as a prominent member of the Getty family.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Getty
Among Census respondents with the surname Getty, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Getty 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 Getty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 2,319
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 78
- Two or more races2.0% · 50
- Black or African American1.3% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Getty
Getty 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
#11,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,842
-30 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 860 places
2020
#11,914
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,511
-331 bearers (-11.6%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 772 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,282 | 2,872 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,142 | 2,842 | 0.96 | -30 bearers (-1.0%) | Down 860 places |
| 2020 | #11,914 | 2,511 | 0.84 | -331 bearers (-11.6%) | Down 772 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 Getty 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 | #11,142 | #11,914 | -6.9% |
| Count | 2,842 | 2,511 | -11.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.84 | -12.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Getty bearers went from 2,842 to 2,511 (-11.6% change). The surname moved down 772 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,142 to #11,914.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Getty
FAQ
Getty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Getty?
Name Census estimates that about 2,879 living Americans carry the surname Getty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 119,053 residents.
How common is Getty?
Getty ranks #11,914 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.84 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 2,511 people with the surname Getty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,879), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.84 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 Getty.
Has Getty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Getty went from 2,842 recorded bearers to 2,511. That is a decrease of 331 (-11.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,142 to #11,914.
What does the Census say about the background of Getty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Getty, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Getty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (2,319 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Getty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Getty (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 Getty mean?
Derived from a Welsh place name meaning "boundary" or "border," likely referring to someone who lived near a border. 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 Getty (0.84 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 Getty?
Want to know how common the surname Getty is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.