The Gunter surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 24,513 people carried this name — #1,457 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 12,000 people counted. That is up 3% from 23,775 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Gunter surname

A surname originating as a patronymic.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Gunter» (German), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as an occupational name: ‘the ganter’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: Geoffrey le Ganter, Cambridgeshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Ganter, Gaunter and Gunter.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 307 · public domain.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

615 people named Gunter live in Switzerland.

They live in 20 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Bern.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Bern 207
Zurich 110
Aargau 47
Thurgau 42
Solothurn 38
Lucerne 28
Basel-Landschaft 28
Schaffhausen 21

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 Argentina’s national register

At least 176 people named Gunter 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 map

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 126
Tucumán 21
Misiones 17
Entre Ríos 12

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 33 people named Gunter.

7 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 6 départements, most often Bas-Rhin.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 7
Bas-Rhin 15
Nord 3
Pas-de-Calais 3
Saône-et-Loire 3
Haut-Rhin 1
Hauts-de-Seine 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Gunter was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Gloucestershire: 17 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 588. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Gloucestershire 17
Berkshire 15

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

25 families named Gunter, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 147 people lived in those households, 5.9 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

North Carolina 10
South Carolina 8
Pennsylvania 3
Maryland 3
Virginia 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 243 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Gunter in American newspapers,
1913–1929.

Newspaper page from Washington Journal carrying the name Gunter
Washington Journal 1913-08-09
Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Gunter
Evening Star 1916-09-17
Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Gunter
Evening Star 1929-07-10

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 78,270 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Gunter in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1990s.

7,822 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gunter. The most, 1,442, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 2.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 2,713
South Australia 2,079
Victoria 1,097
Western Australia 879
Queensland 559
Tasmania 338
ACT (Canberra) 125
Northern Territory 7

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Gunter.

Who carried it

People named Gunter,
with a public archive behind them.

  • James Gunter d. 1558 · politician
  • Richard Gunter d. 1553 · politician
  • Helen Gunter d. 1925
  • William Gunter d. 1588
  • John Gunter, of Chilworth 1458–
  • Katherine Gunter 1499–

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Gunter,
in the records of 10 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 States1,499 records

1,499 records of the Gunter name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 822
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 255
  • Other U.S. records 422
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Jason E. Gunter

    Born 1917 in Alabama. Enlisted 1941 at Camp Rucker Ozark; farm hand from Dale County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1996, buried at Campground Bapt Ch Cemetery, Ozark, Alabama.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Noah S. Gunter

    Born 1907 in Minnesota. Enlisted 1944 at Fort Snelling; hunting from Crow Wing County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1976, buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record William C. Gunter

    Born 1915 in Virginia. Enlisted 1943 at New York City; driver from Nassau County, New York. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1978, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 1,499 records for Gunter in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain).

Netherlands1,462 records

1,462 records of the Gunter name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 787
  • Dutch population registers 569
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 106
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Josephus Albertus Thomas Günter

    Married in 1933 in Maastricht; cattle dealer. Died 1962 in Breda.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Maatje Gunter

    Married in 1870 in Sint Philipsland; of private means, born 1829 in Sint Annaland. Died 1903 in Sint Philipsland, aged 73.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Klaara Sofija Gunter

    Married in 1822 in Tiel; born 1800 in Tiel. Died 1873 in Tiel, aged 73.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,462 records for Gunter 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).

Australia259 records

259 records of the Gunter name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 146
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 39
  • Other Australian records 74
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William Gunter

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Surrey, sailing from England in 1818. Native of Hertfordshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1842.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Sarah Gunter

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the New Grove, sailing from London in 1834. Native of Stoke-upon-Trent, Staffordshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1840.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Joel Gunter

    Arrived in Victoria in 1886 aboard the Gulf of Mexico, aged 23; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 259 records for Gunter in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Germany223 records

223 records of the Gunter name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 204
  • German emigration and citizenship files 19
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Hermann Günter

    From Geischen, Guhrau. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 23 November 1916 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 10).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Klemens Günter

    Left Zizenhausen for America in 1853.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)
  3. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Karl Günter

    Left Saig for Neuhausen, Switzerland in 1909.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)

Showing 3 of 223 records for Gunter in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0).

Canada16 records

16 records of the Gunter name in Canada
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 7
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 5
  • Other Canadian records 4
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Dorothy Gunter

    Died 1993, aged 103; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Clarence Allan Fisher Gunter

    Died 1962; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.

Showing 2 of 16 records for Gunter in Canada.

Counts: Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

France14 records

14 records of the Gunter name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Raymond Gunter

    Born 1925 in Strasbourg; died 1994 in Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Jeanne Lucie Gunter

    Born 1907 in Strasbourg; died 1985 in Wissembourg (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 14 records for Gunter 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).

United Kingdom6 records

6 records of the Gunter name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 4
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 1
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Mary Ann Gunter

    Buried in 1795 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 38.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. M. Gunter

    Lance Corporal, Gloucestershire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 2 of 6 records for Gunter in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand3 records

3 records of the Gunter name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 2
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Robert Gunter

    Buried in 1908 at Tararu Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 64.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 3 records for Gunter in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Switzerland2 records

2 records of the Gunter name in Switzerland Zürich marriage records, 16th–18th centuries
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Georg Günter

    Married in 1577 in Gossau, canton of Zürich; of Uster.

    Staatsarchiv des Kantons Zürich, Zürcher Ehedaten (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Gunter in Switzerland.

Counts: Staatsarchiv des Kantons Zürich, Zürcher Ehedaten (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Belgium1 record

1 record of the Gunter name in Belgium Belgian civil registers (births, marriages, deaths)
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Lucia Günter

    Died 1901 in Gent.

    Open Archives, Archief Gent (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Gunter.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Gunter 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.

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