2000
#13,207
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Gauvin
A French surname derived from the Germanic name Gawain, meaning "hawk of battle" or "white hawk."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,486 Americans carry the last name Gauvin. That puts it at #13,429 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,874 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gauvin 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
2.5K
1 in 137,874
Census rank
#13,429
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,168 bearers of the surname Gauvin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13429th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gauvin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gauvin
The surname Gauvin originates from France and is a variant of the name Gaudin. It first appeared in the 12th century in the Normandy region of northern France. The name derives from the Germanic personal name Waldin, which means "ruler of the forest."
In the early 13th century, the name Gauvin appeared in several French manuscripts, including the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Longueville. One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Robert Gauvin, who was mentioned in a document from 1224 in the Normandy town of Rouen.
During the Middle Ages, the Gauvin surname was most prevalent in the regions of Normandy and Brittany. Some variations of the spelling included Gauvan, Gaulvin, and Gaulvent. The name was also associated with several place names in these areas, such as Gauville and Gauvilliers.
One notable bearer of the Gauvin surname was Jean Gauvin, a French poet and playwright who lived from 1585 to 1654. He was born in Rouen and is best known for his tragedy play, "La Constance."
In the 17th century, the Gauvin name appeared in records of the French colony of Quebec, Canada. One of the earliest settlers with this surname was Jacques Gauvin, who arrived in Quebec in 1665 from the village of Sainte-Mère-Église in Normandy.
Another significant figure with the Gauvin surname was Antoine Gauvin, a French architect who lived from 1730 to 1799. He designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Church of Saint-Sulpice and the Palais du Luxembourg.
In the 19th century, Émile Gauvin (1824-1902) was a prominent French painter and illustrator known for his depictions of rural life and landscapes. He was born in the town of Arras in northern France.
Another noteworthy individual with the Gauvin surname was Marie-Jeanne Gauvin (1868-1945), a French nun who founded the Congregation of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood. She was born in the town of Nanteuil-lès-Meaux near Paris.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gauvin
Among Census respondents with the surname Gauvin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Gauvin 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 Gauvin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 1,937
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 74
- Black or African American3.4% · 73
- Two or more races2.9% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gauvin
Gauvin 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
#13,625
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,223
+103 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 418 places
2020
#13,429
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,168
-55 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 196 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,207 | 2,120 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,625 | 2,223 | 0.75 | +103 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 418 places |
| 2020 | #13,429 | 2,168 | 0.73 | -55 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 196 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 Gauvin 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 | #13,625 | #13,429 | 1.4% |
| Count | 2,223 | 2,168 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.75 | 0.73 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gauvin bearers went from 2,223 to 2,168 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 196 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,625 to #13,429.
FAQ
Gauvin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gauvin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,486 living Americans carry the surname Gauvin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,874 residents.
How common is Gauvin?
Gauvin ranks #13,429 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,168 people with the surname Gauvin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,486), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Gauvin.
Has Gauvin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gauvin went from 2,223 recorded bearers to 2,168. That is a decrease of 55 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,625 to #13,429.
What does the Census say about the background of Gauvin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gauvin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (3.4%). 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 Gauvin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (1,937 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gauvin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Hispanic (3.4%), Black (3.4%). 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 Gauvin (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 Gauvin mean?
A French surname derived from the Germanic name Gawain, meaning "hawk of battle" or "white hawk." 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 Gauvin (0.73 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 Gauvin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.