2000
#110,523
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gearring
An occupational surname referring to someone who made or repaired gears or machinery.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 143 Americans carry the last name Gearring. That puts it at #138,300 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,396,883 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gearring 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
143
1 in 2,396,883
Census rank
#138,300
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
125
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 125 bearers of the surname Gearring in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 138300th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gearring, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gearring
The surname "GEARRING" is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period, likely derived from a combination of the Old English words "gearr" meaning "spear" and "ing" which was a common suffix used to denote belonging or relationship. This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone who was a skilled spearmaker or a warrior proficient in the use of spears.
The earliest recorded instances of this surname can be traced back to the 14th century in various parish records and tax rolls from the counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset. In the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1327, a certain John Gearring is listed as a landowner in the village of Nailsworth, Gloucestershire. This is one of the oldest documented examples of the name in its current spelling.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the surname appears to have spread across southern and central England, with variants such as "Gearing" and "Gearinge" appearing in historical documents from counties like Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire. One notable individual from this time was Thomas Gearring, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in the late 1500s.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Gearring family established themselves in the county of Northamptonshire, where they were recorded as prominent landowners and members of the local gentry. A notable figure from this branch was Sir William Gearring (1620-1687), a Member of Parliament and Justice of the Peace who served during the reign of King Charles II.
As the surname spread across England, it also found its way into various place names and toponyms. For example, the village of Gearring's Green in Buckinghamshire is believed to have derived its name from a Gearring family who once owned land in the area.
Other notable individuals with the surname "GEARRING" throughout history include:
1. Robert Gearring (1712-1784), a renowned clockmaker from London whose intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the aristocracy.
2. Elizabeth Gearring (1792-1872), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's education in the early 19th century, who founded several schools for girls in the city of Bristol.
3. Sir Arthur Gearring (1845-1923), a prominent British diplomat who served as Ambassador to Russia and Turkey during the late 19th century.
4. Henry Gearring (1889-1967), a celebrated English novelist and playwright whose works explored themes of social class and societal change in early 20th century Britain.
5. Alice Gearring (1920-2005), a renowned archaeologist and expert on ancient Egyptian civilizations, who made significant contributions to our understanding of Egyptian burial practices and hieroglyphics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gearring
Among Census respondents with the surname Gearring, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Gearring 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 Gearring surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American88.8% · 111
- White4.8% · 6
- Two or more races2.4% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gearring
Gearring 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
#117,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 6,957 places
2020
#138,300
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-23 bearers (-15.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,820 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #110,523 | 148 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #117,480 | 148 | 0.05 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 6,957 places |
| 2020 | #138,300 | 125 | 0.04 | -23 bearers (-15.5%) | Down 20,820 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 Gearring 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 | #117,480 | #138,300 | -17.7% |
| Count | 148 | 125 | -15.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gearring bearers went from 148 to 125 (-15.5% change). The surname moved down 20,820 positions in the national ranking, going from #117,480 to #138,300.
FAQ
Gearring surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gearring?
Name Census estimates that about 143 living Americans carry the surname Gearring. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,396,883 residents.
How common is Gearring?
Gearring ranks #138,300 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 125 people with the surname Gearring. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (143), 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 Gearring.
Has Gearring become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gearring went from 148 recorded bearers to 125. That is a decrease of 23 (-15.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #117,480 to #138,300.
What does the Census say about the background of Gearring?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gearring, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.8%. The next largest groups are White (4.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gearring in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gearring appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (88.8%), White (4.8%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Gearring (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 Gearring mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who made or repaired gears or machinery. 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 Gearring (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 have the last name Gearring?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Gearring, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.