2000
#8,570
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,538
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.31
Rare Last name
Gingrich
Derived from a nickname referring to someone with red hair or a fiery temperament.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,970 Americans carry the last name Gingrich. That puts it at #9,063 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,336 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gingrich 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
4.0K
1 in 86,336
Census rank
#9,063
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,462 bearers of the surname Gingrich in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9063rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gingrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gingrich
The surname Gingrich is of German origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the old German word "gingrihe," which referred to a ginger-colored beard or hair. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to someone with reddish or ginger-colored hair.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Gingrich can be found in various German records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One of the earliest documented examples is Hans Gingrich, who was mentioned in a land registry in the town of Heilbronn, Germany, in 1327.
In the 16th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Gingrich, Gingrichs, and Gingerichs, in various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and Hesse. It is also worth noting that the name may have been associated with certain place names or locations where families bearing the surname resided.
One notable individual with the surname Gingrich was Johann Gingrich, a German Protestant theologian and author who lived from 1548 to 1617. He is known for his works on theology and his involvement in the Protestant Reformation.
Another individual of historical significance was Friedrich Gingrich, a German philologist and lexicographer who lived from 1867 to 1952. He is best known for his contributions to the study of ancient Greek language and literature, including his work on the famous Bauer-Gingrich Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many individuals with the surname Gingrich immigrated to the United States from various regions of Germany. One notable American with the surname was Newt Gingrich, a politician and author who served as the 58th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999.
Other individuals with the surname Gingrich who have made notable contributions include Arnold Gingrich, the founder and former publisher of Esquire magazine, and Roy Gingrich, an American entrepreneur and philanthropist who co-founded the company that later became Taco Bell.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gingrich
Among Census respondents with the surname Gingrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gingrich 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 Gingrich surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 3,231
- Two or more races2.9% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 21
- Black or African American0.5% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gingrich
Gingrich 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
#9,262
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,515
-23 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 692 places
2020
#9,063
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,462
-53 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Up 199 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,570 | 3,538 | 1.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,262 | 3,515 | 1.19 | -23 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 692 places |
| 2020 | #9,063 | 3,462 | 1.16 | -53 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 199 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 Gingrich 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 | #9,262 | #9,063 | 2.1% |
| Count | 3,515 | 3,462 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 1.16 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gingrich bearers went from 3,515 to 3,462 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 199 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,262 to #9,063.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gingrich
FAQ
Gingrich surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gingrich?
Name Census estimates that about 3,970 living Americans carry the surname Gingrich. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,336 residents.
How common is Gingrich?
Gingrich ranks #9,063 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 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 3,462 people with the surname Gingrich. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,970), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 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 Gingrich.
Has Gingrich become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gingrich went from 3,515 recorded bearers to 3,462. That is a decrease of 53 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,262 to #9,063.
What does the Census say about the background of Gingrich?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gingrich, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Gingrich in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (3,231 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gingrich appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Gingrich (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 Gingrich mean?
Derived from a nickname referring to someone with red hair or a fiery temperament. 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 Gingrich (1.16 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 Gingrich?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Gingrich, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.