2000
#1,604
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,567
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.62
Uncommon Last name
Gagnon
A French occupational surname referring to a guard dog keeper or a person who worked with guard dogs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,014 Americans carry the last name Gagnon. That puts it at #1,741 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,893 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gagnon 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
23K
1 in 14,893
Census rank
#1,741
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,069 bearers of the surname Gagnon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1741st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gagnon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gagnon
The surname Gagnon has its origins in France and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is a locational surname, derived from the French place name Gagné, which is believed to have originated from the Latin word "ganeatus," meaning "uncultivated land." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to someone who lived or worked on uncultivated land.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Gagnon can be found in the 12th century, in the region of Normandy, France. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert Gagnon, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Gagné in the late 13th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name Gagnon appeared in various records and manuscripts, including the Domesday Book, a survey of land and property ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name was also found in the Cartulaire de Redon, a collection of medieval charters and deeds from the Abbey of Redon in Brittany.
As the centuries passed, the Gagnon family spread across different regions of France, and the name underwent minor spelling variations, such as Gagneau, Gagnier, and Gagniard. Some notable individuals with the surname Gagnon throughout history include:
1. Jean Gagnon (1560-1628), a French merchant and explorer who was among the first Europeans to settle in what is now Quebec, Canada.
2. Julien Gagnon (1687-1736), a French-Canadian fur trader and explorer who established trading posts in the Great Lakes region.
3. Lucille Gagnon (1853-1925), a French-Canadian writer and educator known for her works promoting women's rights and education.
4. Léonard Gagnon (1887-1964), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada.
5. Simone Gagnon (1929-2018), a Canadian sculptor and visual artist known for her abstract and minimalist works.
The name Gagnon has also been associated with various place names, particularly in France and Canada, such as Gagnon, Quebec, a municipality in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, and Lac Gagnon, a lake located in the same province.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gagnon
Among Census respondents with the surname Gagnon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gagnon 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 Gagnon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 18,322
- Two or more races3.6% · 714
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 649
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 152
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 151
- Black or African American0.4% · 81
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gagnon
Gagnon 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
#1,697
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,208
+641 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 7.19
Rank movement Down 93 places
2020
#1,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,069
-1,139 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 6.71
Rank movement Down 44 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,604 | 20,567 | 7.62 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,697 | 21,208 | 7.19 | +641 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 93 places |
| 2020 | #1,741 | 20,069 | 6.71 | -1,139 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 44 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 Gagnon 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 | #1,697 | #1,741 | -2.6% |
| Count | 21,208 | 20,069 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 7.19 | 6.71 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gagnon bearers went from 21,208 to 20,069 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 44 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,697 to #1,741.
FAQ
Gagnon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gagnon?
Name Census estimates that about 23,014 living Americans carry the surname Gagnon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,893 residents.
How common is Gagnon?
Gagnon ranks #1,741 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,069 people with the surname Gagnon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,014), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Gagnon.
Has Gagnon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gagnon went from 21,208 recorded bearers to 20,069. That is a decrease of 1,139 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,697 to #1,741.
What does the Census say about the background of Gagnon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gagnon, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Gagnon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (18,322 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gagnon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.6%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Gagnon (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 Gagnon mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a guard dog keeper or a person who worked with guard dogs. 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 Gagnon (6.71 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 share the surname Gagnon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.