2000
#1,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,826
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.83
Uncommon Last name
Gee
A patronymic surname of Old English or Germanic origin, meaning "son of Gee" or derived from a nickname for Gregory.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,175 Americans carry the last name Gee. That puts it at #1,528 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,095 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gee 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gee with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,095
Census rank
#1,528
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,826 bearers of the surname Gee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1528th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gee, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (19.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gee
The surname Gee originated in England, with the earliest known records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Old French word "gai," meaning joyful or lively, which was likely used as a nickname for a cheerful person. Alternatively, it could have been derived from the Old English word "gea," meaning yes or indeed.
The name is found in various early records, including the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which mentions a Richard le Gai in Oxfordshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 also list a John Gee in Staffordshire. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was William Gee, who was mentioned in the Patent Rolls of 1310 in Lincolnshire.
The Gee surname has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Thomas Gee (c. 1505-1556), an English Protestant reformer and the first Regius Professor of Civil Law at the University of Cambridge. Another notable bearer was Joshua Gee (1667-1730), a merchant and economic writer who authored influential works on trade and commerce.
In the 18th century, the name was borne by Samuel Gee (1739-1808), a prominent English Baptist minister and author. His son, John Gee (1763-1826), was a renowned scholar and author of the influential work "The Trade and Navigation of Great Britain Considered."
The 19th century saw the rise of William W. H. Gee (1837-1916), a successful English businessman and philanthropist who founded the Gee Trust, which provided educational opportunities for underprivileged children.
The Gee surname has also been associated with various place names, such as Gee Cross in Greater Manchester, which was formerly known as Gee Croft. Additionally, there are several villages and hamlets in England with names like Gee, Gee Wood, and Gee Cross, indicating the prevalence of the surname in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gee
Among Census respondents with the surname Gee, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (19.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gee 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 Gee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.2% · 11,908
- Black or African American19.2% · 4,382
- Asian and Pacific Islander19.2% · 4,380
- Two or more races5.2% · 1,183
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 820
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 153
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gee
Gee 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
#1,547
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,241
-585 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 7.88
Rank movement Down 184 places
2020
#1,528
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,826
-415 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 7.64
Rank movement Up 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,363 | 23,826 | 8.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,547 | 23,241 | 7.88 | -585 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 184 places |
| 2020 | #1,528 | 22,826 | 7.64 | -415 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 19 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 Gee 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 | #1,547 | #1,528 | 1.2% |
| Count | 23,241 | 22,826 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 7.88 | 7.64 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gee bearers went from 23,241 to 22,826 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,547 to #1,528.
FAQ
Gee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gee?
Name Census estimates that about 26,175 living Americans carry the surname Gee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,095 residents.
How common is Gee?
Gee ranks #1,528 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,826 people with the surname Gee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,175), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Gee.
Has Gee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gee went from 23,241 recorded bearers to 22,826. That is a decrease of 415 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,547 to #1,528.
What does the Census say about the background of Gee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gee, the largest self-reported group is White at 52.2%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (19.2%). 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 Gee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.2% (11,908 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (52.2%), Black (19.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (19.2%). 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 Gee (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 Gee mean?
A patronymic surname of Old English or Germanic origin, meaning "son of Gee" or derived from a nickname for Gregory. 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 Gee (7.64 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 Gee?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Gee? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.