2000
#4,138
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,926
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.94
Rare Last name
Gaddy
An English surname of uncertain origin, possibly related to the Old English personal name Gædda or place name Gaddesden.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,952 Americans carry the last name Gaddy. That puts it at #4,403 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,288 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gaddy 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
9.0K
1 in 38,288
Census rank
#4,403
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,807 bearers of the surname Gaddy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4403rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.3%. The next largest groups are Black (34.4%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gaddy
The surname Gaddy has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "gad," which referred to a goad or a sharp stick used for driving cattle. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for a person who worked as a cattle herder or a drover.
One of the earliest records of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where it is listed as "Gadd." Over the centuries, various spellings emerged, such as Gade, Gaddie, and Gaddye, reflecting the regional variations and evolution of the English language.
In the 13th century, the Gaddy surname appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, an important survey of landholdings and tenants conducted during the reign of King Edward I. This suggests that the Gaddy family had established themselves as landowners in the region by that time.
Notable individuals bearing the Gaddy surname include Sir John Gaddy (1565-1637), a prominent English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Lincolnshire. Another notable figure was Thomas Gaddy (1680-1754), a renowned clockmaker from London whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the nobility.
In the 17th century, the Gaddy family had a presence in the American colonies. William Gaddy (1620-1688) was one of the earliest settlers in Virginia, arriving in the colony in 1642. He and his descendants played a significant role in the development of the region.
Another notable figure was Samuel Gaddy (1745-1821), a patriot and soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He was recognized for his bravery and leadership during the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in 1781.
As the Gaddy family spread across England and later to the American colonies, they often adopted variations of the name based on local pronunciations and spellings. Some of these variations included Gaddis, Gaddess, and Gaddies, reflecting the diversity of the surname's evolution over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gaddy
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.3%. The next largest groups are Black (34.4%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gaddy 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 Gaddy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.3% · 4,314
- Black or African American34.4% · 2,686
- Two or more races5.0% · 388
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 225
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 155
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 39
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gaddy
Gaddy 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
#4,251
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,342
+416 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 2.83
Rank movement Down 113 places
2020
#4,403
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,807
-535 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 2.61
Rank movement Down 152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,138 | 7,926 | 2.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,251 | 8,342 | 2.83 | +416 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 113 places |
| 2020 | #4,403 | 7,807 | 2.61 | -535 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 152 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 Gaddy 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 | #4,251 | #4,403 | -3.6% |
| Count | 8,342 | 7,807 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.83 | 2.61 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gaddy bearers went from 8,342 to 7,807 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 152 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,251 to #4,403.
FAQ
Gaddy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gaddy?
Name Census estimates that about 8,952 living Americans carry the surname Gaddy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,288 residents.
How common is Gaddy?
Gaddy ranks #4,403 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,807 people with the surname Gaddy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,952), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Gaddy.
Has Gaddy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gaddy went from 8,342 recorded bearers to 7,807. That is a decrease of 535 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,251 to #4,403.
What does the Census say about the background of Gaddy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.3%. The next largest groups are Black (34.4%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Gaddy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.3% (4,314 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gaddy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.3%), Black (34.4%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Gaddy (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 Gaddy mean?
An English surname of uncertain origin, possibly related to the Old English personal name Gædda or place name Gaddesden. 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 Gaddy (2.61 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 Gaddy?
Want to know how common the surname Gaddy is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.