The Gaitan surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 7,702 people carried this name — #4,606 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 38,300 people counted. That is up 32% from 5,827 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Gaitan surname
From the Latin Caiētānus (“inhabitant of Gaeta”).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Gaitán» (Spanish), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 18,951 people named Gaitan live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
24 people named Gaitan live in Switzerland.
They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Geneva.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 23 people named Gaitan live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Brussels-Capital.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Gaitan in American newspapers,
1902–1930.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 853 pages in all carry the name.
In the public record
People named Gaitan,
in the records of 3 countries.
Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.
United States213 records
- U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 148
- U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 37
- U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 24
- U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
- New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 2
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Example: U.S. war memorial War record Jesse M. GaitanBorn 1930; from Maricopa County, Arizona. U.S. Army, clerk-typist; killed in action 1950 in South Korea. Buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.
U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: U.S. registration card, 1942 Military record Alvero GaitanBorn 1921 in Colombia. Enlisted 1943 at New York City; aircraft worker. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1974, buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.
U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: U.S. burial record, 1864 Burial record Atancio GaitanU.S. Army veteran of World War I. Born 1894, died 1968; buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
Showing 3 of 213 records for Gaitan in the United States.
Counts: U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).
France4 records
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Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Michel GaitanBorn 1952 in Saint-Gaudens; died 1992 in Toulouse (Haute-Garonne).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte) -
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Enriqueta GaitanBorn 1931 in Morocco; died 1990 in Lyon (Rhône).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte) -
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Alexandre GaitanBorn 1924 in Spain; died 1990 in Bordeaux (Gironde).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
Showing 3 of 4 records for Gaitan in France.
Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).
Netherlands2 records
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Example: marriage register, 1911 Marriage record Fransois GaitanMarried in 1697 in Leeuwarden.
Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0)
Showing 1 of 2 records for Gaitan in the Netherlands.
Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Gaitan.
- Gain 1,367 · U.S. census
- Gaine 230 · U.S. census
- Gainer 5,012 · U.S. census
- Gaines 43,821 · U.S. census
- Gainey 8,556 · U.S. census
- Gainza 215 · U.S. census
- Gaither 10,790 · U.S. census
- Gajan 117 · U.S. census
- Gajda 792 · U.S. census
- Gajewski 2,588 · U.S. census
- Gajic 199 · U.S. census
- Gal 1,179 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Gaitan is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.