2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gadwa
A Polish surname derived from a place name likely referring to a person from the village of Gadowa.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Gadwa. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gadwa 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Gadwa in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gadwa, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gadwa
The surname GADWA has its roots traced back to the Indian subcontinent, specifically the northern regions of present-day Pakistan and India. It is believed to have originated during the medieval period, possibly as early as the 12th century.
GADWA is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit word "gadha," which means "fort" or "fortified place." This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals who either lived in or were responsible for the maintenance of fortified settlements or military outposts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GADWA can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. It mentions a certain "Gadwa Khan," who was a military commander in the service of the Mughal Empire.
During the 17th century, the GADWA name appears in various Persian and Arabic manuscripts, indicating that individuals bearing this surname held positions of importance within the administrative and military ranks of the Mughal and other regional empires.
In the 18th century, the GADWA surname can be traced to the city of Lahore, which was a major cultural and administrative center of the Mughal Empire. One notable figure from this period was Mir Gadwa, a renowned poet and calligrapher who lived from 1725 to 1798.
Another prominent individual with the GADWA surname was Mirza Gadwa Khan, a military commander who served under the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in the late 17th century. He was known for his bravery and leadership during various military campaigns.
As the centuries progressed, the GADWA surname spread across the Indian subcontinent and beyond, with individuals bearing this name making significant contributions in various fields, including literature, art, and politics.
One such figure was Faiz Gadwa, a celebrated Urdu poet and revolutionary who played a pivotal role in the Indian independence movement. He was born in 1911 and his poetic works continue to be widely read and appreciated.
In more recent times, the GADWA surname has been associated with notable personalities such as Iqbal Gadwa, a Pakistani politician and diplomat who served as the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 1990s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gadwa
Among Census respondents with the surname Gadwa, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gadwa 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 Gadwa surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 94
- Two or more races3.0% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gadwa
Gadwa 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-11 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,009 places
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-8 bearers (-7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,818 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 20,009 places |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -8 bearers (-7.3%) | Down 4,818 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 Gadwa 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 | #150,452 | #155,270 | -3.2% |
| Count | 109 | 101 | -7.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gadwa bearers went from 109 to 101 (-7.3% change). The surname moved down 4,818 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #155,270.
FAQ
Gadwa surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gadwa?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Gadwa. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Gadwa?
Gadwa ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 101 people with the surname Gadwa. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gadwa.
Has Gadwa become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gadwa went from 109 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Gadwa?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gadwa, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Gadwa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gadwa appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Gadwa (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 Gadwa mean?
A Polish surname derived from a place name likely referring to a person from the village of Gadowa. 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 Gadwa (0.03 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 Americans have the surname Gadwa?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.