2000
#1,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,213
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.86
Uncommon Last name
Gary
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "triangular plot of land" or "spearpoint."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,540 Americans carry the last name Gary. That puts it at #1,710 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,561 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gary 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 Gary with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,561
Census rank
#1,710
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,528 bearers of the surname Gary in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1710th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gary, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.0%. The next largest groups are White (44.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gary
The surname Gary originated in England during the medieval period, likely in the 10th or 11th century. It is derived from the Old English word "garan" or "garen," which means "triangular piece of ground." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived on or near a triangular-shaped plot of land or field.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gary can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions a landholder named "Garei" in Lincolnshire. This spelling variation likely represents an early form of the Gary surname.
During the Middle Ages, the Gary surname was primarily concentrated in the English counties of Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Yorkshire. Several place names in these regions, such as Garthorpe and Gartree, may have influenced the development of the Gary surname or been derived from the same Old English root.
One notable historical figure with the Gary surname was Sir Thomas Gary (c. 1495-1544), an English courtier and diplomat during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as Lord of the Privy Seal and was involved in negotiations with Scotland and France.
Another prominent individual was Robert Gary (c. 1540-1622), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I. He was also a member of the Council of the North and held various administrative positions in Yorkshire.
In the 17th century, the Gary surname is recorded in the parish registers of Barwick-in-Elmet, a village in West Yorkshire. One entry from 1638 mentions the marriage of Robert Gary and Elizabeth Thwaites.
During the 18th century, a notable figure with the Gary surname was Sir John Gary (1691-1768), an English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1742 until his death.
The Gary surname also has a connection to the American Revolutionary War, with Elbert Gary (1744-1800) serving as a colonel in the Continental Army and participating in several major battles, including the Siege of Savannah.
Over the centuries, the Gary surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Garie, Garye, and Garey, reflecting the evolving nature of surnames and regional dialects. However, the core meaning and origins of the name can be traced back to its Old English roots and the triangular piece of ground it once described.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gary
Among Census respondents with the surname Gary, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.0%. The next largest groups are White (44.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gary 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 Gary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American46.0% · 9,453
- White44.5% · 9,139
- Two or more races4.5% · 931
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 788
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 113
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 104
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gary
Gary 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
#1,612
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,310
+1,097 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 7.56
Rank movement Down 57 places
2020
#1,710
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,528
-1,782 bearers (-8.0%)
Per 100,000 6.87
Rank movement Down 98 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,555 | 21,213 | 7.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,612 | 22,310 | 7.56 | +1,097 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 57 places |
| 2020 | #1,710 | 20,528 | 6.87 | -1,782 bearers (-8.0%) | Down 98 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 Gary 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 | #1,612 | #1,710 | -6.1% |
| Count | 22,310 | 20,528 | -8.0% |
| Per 100K | 7.56 | 6.87 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gary bearers went from 22,310 to 20,528 (-8.0% change). The surname moved down 98 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,612 to #1,710.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gary
FAQ
Gary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gary?
Name Census estimates that about 23,540 living Americans carry the surname Gary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,561 residents.
How common is Gary?
Gary ranks #1,710 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,528 people with the surname Gary. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,540), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Gary.
Has Gary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gary went from 22,310 recorded bearers to 20,528. That is a decrease of 1,782 (-8.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,612 to #1,710.
What does the Census say about the background of Gary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gary, the largest self-reported group is Black at 46.0%. The next largest groups are White (44.5%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.0% (9,453 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (46.0%), White (44.5%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Gary (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 Gary mean?
An English surname derived from a place name meaning "triangular plot of land" or "spearpoint." 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 Gary (6.87 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 common is the surname Gary?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Gary is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.