2010
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gavrilis
A surname derived from the Greek given name Gavriil, meaning "man of God".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Gavrilis. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gavrilis 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Gavrilis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gavrilis, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gavrilis
The surname GAVRILIS is of Greek origin, derived from the name Gavriil or Gabriel, which means "God is my strength" in Hebrew. This name can be traced back to the Byzantine era, when Greek culture and language were widely prevalent in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
The earliest known record of the GAVRILIS surname dates back to the 15th century, when it was mentioned in the archives of the island of Crete. During this period, the Venetian Republic ruled over parts of Greece, including Crete, and it is likely that the name originated among Greek families living under Venetian rule.
In the 16th century, the name GAVRILIS appeared in various manuscripts and records from the Greek Orthodox Church, particularly in the regions of the Peloponnese and the Aegean islands. This suggests that the surname was well-established among the Greek population during the Ottoman Empire's rule over Greece.
One notable bearer of the GAVRILIS surname was Georgios Gavrilis, a Greek merchant and ship owner who lived in the late 18th century. He was instrumental in establishing trade routes between the Greek islands and ports in the Mediterranean, contributing to the economic prosperity of the region.
Another prominent figure with this surname was Nikolaos Gavrilis, a Greek scholar and theologian who lived in the 19th century. He was known for his translations of ancient Greek texts and his contributions to the study of Byzantine literature. Nikolaos Gavrilis was born in 1812 and died in 1887.
In the early 20th century, the GAVRILIS surname gained recognition through the work of Konstantinos Gavrilis, a Greek painter and sculptor. He was born in 1890 and is renowned for his depictions of Greek mythology and traditional life. His artwork can be found in various museums and galleries throughout Greece.
Another notable bearer of the GAVRILIS surname was Eleni Gavrilis, a Greek resistance fighter during World War II. She played a crucial role in the Greek Resistance against the Axis occupation and was awarded the War Cross for her bravery and service to the nation. Eleni Gavrilis was born in 1916 and died in 2008.
The GAVRILIS surname continues to be prevalent in Greece and among Greek communities around the world, carrying a rich history and cultural significance rooted in the country's Byzantine and Ottoman past.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gavrilis
Among Census respondents with the surname Gavrilis, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Gavrilis 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 Gavrilis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino8.4% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 4
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gavrilis
Gavrilis appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-5 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,195 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 7,195 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 Gavrilis 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 | #135,593 | #142,788 | -5.3% |
| Count | 124 | 119 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gavrilis bearers went from 124 to 119 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 7,195 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #142,788.
FAQ
Gavrilis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gavrilis?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Gavrilis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Gavrilis?
Gavrilis ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Gavrilis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Gavrilis.
Has Gavrilis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gavrilis went from 124 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Gavrilis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gavrilis, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Gavrilis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gavrilis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Hispanic (8.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Gavrilis (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 Gavrilis mean?
A surname derived from the Greek given name Gavriil, meaning "man of God". 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 Gavrilis (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 many people are called Gavrilis?
You can see how many people are called Gavrilis on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.