2000
#3,290
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,990
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.70
Uncommon Last name
Gandy
An English occupational surname for someone who made or sold gloves, derived from the Old Norse word "gand".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,112 Americans carry the last name Gandy. That puts it at #3,587 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 30,845 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gandy 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gandy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 30,845
Census rank
#3,587
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.7K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,690 bearers of the surname Gandy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3587th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gandy, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.0%. The next largest groups are Black (28.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gandy
The surname Gandy is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "gang" meaning "to go" or "to walk." It was likely an occupational name given to a walker, messenger, or wanderer. The name is believed to have first appeared in the Norfolk and Suffolk regions of England during the 12th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk from 1194, where a Robert Gandy is mentioned. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also list a Walter Gandy in Norfolk. These early records suggest that the name was well-established in the region by the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the Gandy surname appeared in various spellings, such as Gandy, Gandey, and Gaundy, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time. The name is also linked to the village of Gandey in Norfolk, which may have influenced the spelling and spread of the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Gandy include John Gandy (1615-1689), an English architect and surveyor who designed several churches in London, including St. Paul's Cathedral. Another prominent figure was James Gandey (1767-1834), an English violin maker and musician who worked in London and gained recognition for his exceptional craftsmanship.
During the 17th century, the Gandy family produced several notable clergymen, including Henry Gandy (1646-1714), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Toft in Cambridgeshire, and his son, John Gandy (1677-1737), who was also a clergyman and author.
In the 19th century, James Gandey (1790-1857) was an English artist and lithographer known for his landscape paintings and illustrations. Additionally, John Gandey (1814-1892) was a prominent circus proprietor and showman who established the Gandey Family Circus, which continues to operate today.
While the surname Gandy is not among the most common in England, it has a long and rich history, with records dating back to the 12th century and notable individuals spanning various professions, from architecture and religion to the arts and entertainment.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gandy
Among Census respondents with the surname Gandy, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.0%. The next largest groups are Black (28.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gandy 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 Gandy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.0% · 6,003
- Black or African American28.2% · 2,737
- Two or more races5.1% · 493
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 350
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gandy
Gandy 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
#3,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,444
+454 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 3.54
Rank movement Down 127 places
2020
#3,587
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,690
-754 bearers (-7.2%)
Per 100,000 3.24
Rank movement Down 170 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,290 | 9,990 | 3.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,417 | 10,444 | 3.54 | +454 bearers (+4.5%) | Down 127 places |
| 2020 | #3,587 | 9,690 | 3.24 | -754 bearers (-7.2%) | Down 170 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 Gandy 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 | #3,417 | #3,587 | -5.0% |
| Count | 10,444 | 9,690 | -7.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.54 | 3.24 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gandy bearers went from 10,444 to 9,690 (-7.2% change). The surname moved down 170 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,417 to #3,587.
FAQ
Gandy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gandy?
Name Census estimates that about 11,112 living Americans carry the surname Gandy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 30,845 residents.
How common is Gandy?
Gandy ranks #3,587 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.24 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 9,690 people with the surname Gandy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.24 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 Gandy.
Has Gandy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gandy went from 10,444 recorded bearers to 9,690. That is a decrease of 754 (-7.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,417 to #3,587.
What does the Census say about the background of Gandy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gandy, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.0%. The next largest groups are Black (28.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Gandy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.0% (6,003 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gandy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.0%), Black (28.2%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Gandy (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 Gandy mean?
An English occupational surname for someone who made or sold gloves, derived from the Old Norse word "gand". 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 Gandy (3.24 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 Gandy?
See how common the surname Gandy is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.