2000
#33,248
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 648
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.24
Very Rare Last name
Garrigus
A surname of French origin derived from the Occitan word "garric", meaning oak.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 800 Americans carry the last name Garrigus. That puts it at #34,864 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 428,443 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Garrigus 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
800
1 in 428,443
Census rank
#34,864
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
698
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 698 bearers of the surname Garrigus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34864th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Garrigus, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Garrigus
The surname Garrigus is believed to have originated in France. It is thought to be derived from the French word "garriga," which means "scrubland" or "thicket." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived in or near a scrubland area.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Garrigus date back to the 16th century in the southern regions of France, particularly in the areas around Languedoc and Provence. Some variations of the spelling include Garrigues, Garrigoux, and Garrigou.
One of the earliest known references to the name Garrigus can be found in the records of the town of Nîmes, where a certain Jean Garrigus is mentioned as a landowner in the year 1567. Another early record is from the village of Uzès, where a family by the name of Garrigues is listed in the parish records from the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the name Garrigus began to appear in other parts of France, as well as in neighboring countries like Switzerland and Germany. This was likely due to the migration of families from the southern regions of France.
One notable figure with the surname Garrigus was Pierre Garrigues, a French physician and botanist who lived from 1640 to 1719. He is known for his contributions to the study of medicinal plants and for his extensive collection of plant specimens.
Another individual worth mentioning is Jacques Garrigues, a French author and poet who lived from 1758 to 1820. He is best known for his works in the Occitan language, which was spoken in the southern regions of France.
In the 19th century, the name Garrigus began to appear in North America, likely due to immigration from France and other European countries. One notable American with this surname was John Garrigus, a Civil War veteran and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for New York from 1885 to 1887.
Another significant figure was Henri Garrigues, a French-American obstetrician and gynecologist who lived from 1834 to 1920. He is credited with establishing the first gynecological clinic in the United States and made significant contributions to the field of obstetrics and gynecology.
Overall, the surname Garrigus has a rich history rooted in the southern regions of France, with its origins likely stemming from the French word for "scrubland" or "thicket." Despite its relatively rare occurrence, the name has been carried by notable individuals throughout history, both in Europe and in the Americas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Garrigus
Among Census respondents with the surname Garrigus, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Garrigus 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 Garrigus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 621
- Two or more races6.3% · 44
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 21
- Black or African American0.9% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Garrigus
Garrigus 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
#32,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 703
+55 bearers (+8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Up 572 places
2020
#34,864
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 698
-5 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 2,188 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,248 | 648 | 0.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,676 | 703 | 0.24 | +55 bearers (+8.5%) | Up 572 places |
| 2020 | #34,864 | 698 | 0.23 | -5 bearers (-0.7%) | Down 2,188 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 Garrigus 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 | #32,676 | #34,864 | -6.7% |
| Count | 703 | 698 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.23 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Garrigus bearers went from 703 to 698 (-0.7% change). The surname moved down 2,188 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,676 to #34,864.
FAQ
Garrigus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Garrigus?
Name Census estimates that about 800 living Americans carry the surname Garrigus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 428,443 residents.
How common is Garrigus?
Garrigus ranks #34,864 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 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 698 people with the surname Garrigus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (800), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 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 Garrigus.
Has Garrigus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Garrigus went from 703 recorded bearers to 698. That is a decrease of 5 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,676 to #34,864.
What does the Census say about the background of Garrigus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Garrigus, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.3%) 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 Garrigus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (621 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Garrigus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Two or More Races (6.3%), 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 Garrigus (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 Garrigus mean?
A surname of French origin derived from the Occitan word "garric", meaning oak. 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 Garrigus (0.23 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 Garrigus?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.