Find out how popular the last name Gean is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gean.

Gean, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gean surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gean in America

Gean is the 21790th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gean surname appeared 1,193 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gean.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gean to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gean

The surname Gean is believed to have originated in Scotland, where it first appeared in the Middle Ages as a variant spelling of the name Gunn. The name likely derived from the Old Norse word "gunni," which meant "warrior" or "battler."

In the 16th century, the name Gean was recorded in the Scottish Lowlands, particularly in the regions of Ayrshire and Lanarkshire. It was often associated with families who lived in or near the small village of Gean, located in Ayrshire.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gean can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls pledging allegiance to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Gean de Dunbarr," referring to a person from the town of Dunbar.

During the 17th century, the name Gean appeared in various records and manuscripts, such as the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland and the Parish Registers of Ayrshire. In 1645, a John Gean was listed as a merchant in the burgh records of Irvine, Ayrshire.

Notable individuals who bore the surname Gean include:

1. Robert Gean (1563-1637), a Scottish minister and author who served as the Principal of the University of Edinburgh.
2. William Gean (1688-1754), a Scottish mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of comets and planetary orbits.
3. Eliza Gean (1799-1868), a Scottish author and poet, best known for her collection of poems titled "The Highland Harp."
4. James Gean (1832-1914), a Scottish-born Australian explorer and surveyor, who played a crucial role in mapping the interior regions of Western Australia.
5. Margaret Gean (1901-1989), an American artist and sculptor, renowned for her abstract expressionist works and public art installations.

While the name Gean was more prevalent in Scotland during the medieval and early modern periods, it also appeared in various forms and spellings in other parts of the United Kingdom and Ireland, such as Geen, Gene, and Geane.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gean

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gean.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gean was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gean has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gean was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gean, please contact us.

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