2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Ganic
Probably originating from Slavic roots signifying a landowner or farmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Ganic. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ganic 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Ganic in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ganic, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ganic
The surname GANIC is believed to have originated in the Balkans region of Southeastern Europe, particularly in present-day Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. The name likely stems from the Slavic root "gan-," which means "to pursue" or "to chase." It was likely an occupational surname given to hunters or those who pursued game for a living.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GANIC surname can be found in the 16th century, when a Croat named Jure Ganic was mentioned in a land registry document from the city of Split, dated 1563. This suggests that the name had already become established in the region by that time.
In the 17th century, a man named Petar Ganic was listed as a resident of the village of Medjugorje in the Hercegovina region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This village would later become famous for its reported Marian apparitions in the 1980s.
The GANIC surname can also be found in historical records from the coastal city of Dubrovnik, which was an important maritime republic during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. A notable figure was Nikola Ganic, a merchant and ship owner who lived in Dubrovnik in the late 15th century.
One of the most famous individuals with the GANIC surname was Jadranko Ganic, a Bosnian politician who served as the Vice President of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Bosnian War in the 1990s. He was born in Sarajevo in 1939 and played a crucial role in the defense of the city during the siege.
Another notable figure was Anto Ganic, a Croatian writer and poet from the 19th century. He was born in Imotski in 1835 and is considered one of the pioneers of modern Croatian literature.
In terms of place names, there is a village called Ganic located in the municipality of Tomislavgrad in western Bosnia and Herzegovina. This village likely took its name from the GANIC surname, reflecting the presence of families with that last name in the area.
While the GANIC surname is primarily found in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina today, it has also spread to other parts of the world through emigration, particularly to countries with significant Croatian and Bosnian diaspora communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ganic
Among Census respondents with the surname Ganic, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Ganic 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 Ganic surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White99.0% · 104
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ganic
Ganic 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
+19 bearers (+18.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 9,768 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-17 bearers (-13.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,662 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | +19 bearers (+18.4%) | Up 9,768 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.9%) | Down 15,662 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 Ganic 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 | #137,327 | #152,989 | -11.4% |
| Count | 122 | 105 | -13.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ganic bearers went from 122 to 105 (-13.9% change). The surname moved down 15,662 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #152,989.
FAQ
Ganic surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ganic?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Ganic. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Ganic?
Ganic ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Ganic. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Ganic.
Has Ganic become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ganic went from 122 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Ganic?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ganic, the largest self-reported group is White at 99.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Ganic in the 2020 Census, accounting for 99.0% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ganic appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (99.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Ganic (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 Ganic mean?
Probably originating from Slavic roots signifying a landowner or farmer. 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 Ganic (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 share the surname Ganic?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.