2000
#21,916
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.41
Rare Last name
Gandee
An English surname derived from the Old French "gandier", meaning a keeper of geese or watcher of geese.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,399 Americans carry the last name Gandee. That puts it at #21,766 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.41 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 245,000 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gandee 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
1.4K
1 in 245,000
Census rank
#21,766
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,220 bearers of the surname Gandee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.41 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21766th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gandee, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gandee
The surname Gandee has its origins in the British Isles, specifically in England and Scotland. It is believed to have emerged sometime during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century.
The name Gandee is thought to be derived from the Old English word "gandr," which means "a wanderer" or "a nomad." It may have been a descriptive surname originally given to someone who traveled frequently or lived a nomadic lifestyle.
Another possible origin of the name Gandee is that it could be a variation of the Scottish surname "Gandy," which is believed to be a locational name referring to a place called Gandy in Ayrshire, Scotland.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Gandee can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex, a historical record of tax payments in England, from the year 1195. The name is listed as "Gandye."
In the 16th century, a notable individual with the surname Gandee was John Gandee, a merchant and landowner from Bristol, England, who lived from approximately 1520 to 1585.
During the 17th century, the name Gandee appeared in various parish records and historical documents across England and Scotland. For example, in 1634, a Thomas Gandee was recorded as a resident of the parish of St. Mary's in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the surname Gandee was William Gandee, a Scottish scholar and writer who lived from 1725 to 1797. He authored several works on history and philosophy.
Another notable individual with the Gandee surname was Robert Gandee, an English soldier who served in the British Army during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th century. He fought in several major battles between 1803 and 1815.
In the late 19th century, a Mary Gandee was recorded as residing in the village of Steeple Aston, Oxfordshire, England, according to the census records of 1881.
Throughout its history, the Gandee surname has been spelled in various ways, including Gandy, Gandye, and Gande, reflecting regional variations and the influence of different languages and dialects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gandee
Among Census respondents with the surname Gandee, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gandee 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 Gandee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 1,117
- Two or more races4.4% · 54
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 2
- Black or African American0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gandee
Gandee 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
#24,608
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,015
-89 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Down 2,692 places
2020
#21,766
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,220
+205 bearers (+20.2%)
Per 100,000 0.41
Rank movement Up 2,842 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,916 | 1,104 | 0.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,608 | 1,015 | 0.34 | -89 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 2,692 places |
| 2020 | #21,766 | 1,220 | 0.41 | +205 bearers (+20.2%) | Up 2,842 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 Gandee 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 | #24,608 | #21,766 | 11.5% |
| Count | 1,015 | 1,220 | 20.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.34 | 0.41 | 20.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gandee bearers went from 1,015 to 1,220 (+20.2% change). The surname moved up 2,842 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,608 to #21,766.
FAQ
Gandee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gandee?
Name Census estimates that about 1,399 living Americans carry the surname Gandee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 245,000 residents.
How common is Gandee?
Gandee ranks #21,766 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.41 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 1,220 people with the surname Gandee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,399), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.41 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.41 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 Gandee.
Has Gandee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gandee went from 1,015 recorded bearers to 1,220. That is an increase of 205 (+20.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #24,608 to #21,766.
What does the Census say about the background of Gandee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gandee, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Gandee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (1,117 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gandee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Gandee (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 Gandee mean?
An English surname derived from the Old French "gandier", meaning a keeper of geese or watcher of geese. 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 Gandee (0.41 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 Gandee?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.