2000
#11,903
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,408
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Gauna
A Basque surname derived from the word "gaina," meaning "the top" or "the summit."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,160 Americans carry the last name Gauna. That puts it at #11,023 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,467 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gauna 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
3.2K
1 in 108,467
Census rank
#11,023
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,756 bearers of the surname Gauna in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11023rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gauna, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.5%. The next largest groups are White (10.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gauna
The surname GAUNA originated in the Basque region of Spain and France, which straddles the western Pyrenees mountains. The name likely derives from the Basque word "gauna," meaning "thing" or "object." It may have been a nickname or descriptive name given to someone who had a particular attachment to a specific object or possession.
The earliest recorded instance of the GAUNA surname dates back to the 13th century in the town of Azpeitia, located in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Spain. In 1297, a document mentions a local landowner named Martin Gauna. This suggests that the name had already been established in the region for some time.
During the Middle Ages, the GAUNA name appeared in various spellings, such as Gauña, Gaunna, and Gaunaa, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal variations of the time. Some of these early spellings may have been influenced by the Basque word "gau," meaning "night," potentially indicating a connection to a person's occupation or activities at night.
One notable figure bearing the GAUNA surname was Juan de Gauna, a 15th-century Basque merchant and explorer. He is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to establish trade relations with the indigenous people of the Caribbean islands after the voyages of Christopher Columbus.
In the 16th century, the GAUNA name spread beyond the Basque region as some families migrated to other parts of Spain and the Spanish colonies in the Americas. One such individual was Pedro de Gauna, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru under Francisco Pizarro in the 1530s.
Another significant figure was Miguel de Gauna, a 17th-century Basque architect and sculptor who worked on several notable churches and cathedrals in Spain, including the Cathedral of Burgos and the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla.
The GAUNA surname can also be found in historical records from the Basque region of France, known as the Northern Basque Country. One example is Dominique Gauna, a prominent Basque politician and lawyer who lived in the 18th century and played a role in the French Revolution.
Throughout the centuries, the GAUNA name has been associated with various professions, including merchants, explorers, architects, politicians, and farmers, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and experiences of those who carried this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gauna
Among Census respondents with the surname Gauna, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.5%. The next largest groups are White (10.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gauna 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 Gauna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino85.5% · 2,356
- White10.8% · 297
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 20
- Two or more races0.7% · 18
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gauna
Gauna 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
#10,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,012
+604 bearers (+25.1%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 1,272 places
2020
#11,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,756
-256 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.92
Rank movement Down 392 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,903 | 2,408 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,631 | 3,012 | 1.02 | +604 bearers (+25.1%) | Up 1,272 places |
| 2020 | #11,023 | 2,756 | 0.92 | -256 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 392 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 Gauna 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 | #10,631 | #11,023 | -3.7% |
| Count | 3,012 | 2,756 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.92 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gauna bearers went from 3,012 to 2,756 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 392 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,631 to #11,023.
FAQ
Gauna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gauna?
Name Census estimates that about 3,160 living Americans carry the surname Gauna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,467 residents.
How common is Gauna?
Gauna ranks #11,023 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,756 people with the surname Gauna. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,160), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gauna.
Has Gauna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gauna went from 3,012 recorded bearers to 2,756. That is a decrease of 256 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,631 to #11,023.
What does the Census say about the background of Gauna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gauna, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 85.5%. The next largest groups are White (10.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gauna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (2,356 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gauna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (85.5%), White (10.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Gauna (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 Gauna mean?
A Basque surname derived from the word "gaina," meaning "the top" or "the summit." 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 Gauna (0.92 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 Americans have the surname Gauna?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.