2010
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Gangewere
An archaic surname likely derived from an Old German word related to walking or wandering.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Gangewere. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gangewere 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Gangewere in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gangewere, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gangewere
The surname "GANGEWERE" is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, likely in the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "gangan" meaning "to go" and "wer" meaning "man", suggesting the name may have referred to a traveler or a messenger.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Gangawere". This document was a census-like record of landholders across England, indicating that the name was already established by that time.
Another early reference to the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1285, which mention a "Robert Gangewere". This suggests the name had spread to different regions of England by the late 13th century.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Gangwere" and "Gangeware", reflecting the variations in spelling that were common during that period. One notable individual from this time was John Gangewere, a merchant who lived in London in the late 1300s.
During the 15th century, the name continued to be recorded in various parts of England. In the Yorkshire Deeds of 1455, a "Thomas Gangwere" is mentioned, indicating the presence of the name in the northern regions of the country.
By the 16th century, the spelling had evolved closer to the modern form, with instances such as "Gangewere" appearing in parish records. Notable individuals from this period include William Gangewere, a landowner in Warwickshire born around 1520, and Elizabeth Gangewere, who married into the prominent Peverell family in Derbyshire in the late 1500s.
As the centuries progressed, the name continued to be found across different regions of England, with variations in spelling persisting. Some notable individuals from later periods include James Gangewere, a soldier who served in the English Civil War during the 1640s, and Samuel Gangewere, a prominent merchant in Bristol in the early 18th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gangewere
Among Census respondents with the surname Gangewere, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gangewere 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 Gangewere surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gangewere
Gangewere appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+7 bearers (+7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,336 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+7.0%) | Up 9,336 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 Gangewere 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 | #160,975 | #151,639 | 5.8% |
| Count | 100 | 107 | 7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gangewere bearers went from 100 to 107 (+7.0% change). The surname moved up 9,336 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #151,639.
FAQ
Gangewere surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gangewere?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Gangewere. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Gangewere?
Gangewere ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Gangewere. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Gangewere.
Has Gangewere become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gangewere went from 100 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 7 (+7.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Gangewere?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gangewere, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Gangewere in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gangewere appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Hispanic (3.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (0.9%). 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 Gangewere (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 Gangewere mean?
An archaic surname likely derived from an Old German word related to walking or wandering. 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 Gangewere (0.04 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 are called Gangewere?
If you just want to know how common the surname Gangewere is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.