2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gauvey
A surname derived from a place name in Normandy, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Gauvey. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gauvey 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Gauvey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gauvey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gauvey
The surname GAUVEY is of French origin, and can be traced back to the Normandy region of northern France in the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "gauvée," which referred to a woodland or grove, suggesting that the name may have originally been borne by someone who lived near or worked in a forested area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and populations in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. Here, the name is spelled as "Gauveie," likely reflecting the Norman French spelling and pronunciation of the time.
By the 13th century, the name had spread across northern France and into neighboring regions, with variations in spelling such as "Gauvey," "Gaufey," and "Gaufaye" appearing in various historical records and documents. Notable bearers of the name during this period include Jacques Gauvey, a prominent merchant from Rouen who is mentioned in a charter from 1287.
In the late 14th century, the name made its way to England, where it was anglicized to variations like "Gavey" and "Gawvey." One of the earliest recorded English bearers of the name was John Gauvey, a landowner in Oxfordshire mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of 1279.
Throughout the following centuries, the name continued to be found across various parts of Europe, with bearers of note including Pierre Gauvey, a French scholar and theologian who lived in the late 16th century, and Jeanne Gauvey, a prominent businesswoman in Paris in the mid-17th century.
In the 18th century, the name was also documented in parts of North America, likely brought over by French settlers and immigrants. One notable bearer from this period was Michel Gauvey, a French-Canadian farmer and landowner in Quebec, who was born in 1732.
While the name has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has persisted in various spellings and forms, with bearers found in countries such as France, England, Canada, and the United States. Other notable individuals with this surname include Henri Gauvey, a French artist and painter from the late 19th century, and Étienne Gauvey, a French military officer who fought in World War I and was awarded the Croix de Guerre for his service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gauvey
Among Census respondents with the surname Gauvey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Gauvey 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 Gauvey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 111
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gauvey
Gauvey 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+10 bearers (+9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 767 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+6 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,832 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.5%) | Up 767 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.2%) | Up 2,832 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 Gauvey 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 | #144,141 | #141,309 | 2.0% |
| Count | 115 | 121 | 5.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gauvey bearers went from 115 to 121 (+5.2% change). The surname moved up 2,832 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #141,309.
FAQ
Gauvey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gauvey?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Gauvey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Gauvey?
Gauvey ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Gauvey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Gauvey.
Has Gauvey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gauvey went from 115 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 6 (+5.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #144,141 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Gauvey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gauvey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gauvey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gauvey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Gauvey (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 Gauvey mean?
A surname derived from a place name in Normandy, France. 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 Gauvey (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 common is the surname Gauvey?
Find out how common the surname Gauvey is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.