2000
#11,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,480
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Gelinas
Derived from a French place name, referring to someone from Gelines or Gélines in western France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,805 Americans carry the last name Gelinas. That puts it at #12,160 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,194 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gelinas 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
2.8K
1 in 122,194
Census rank
#12,160
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,446 bearers of the surname Gelinas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12160th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gelinas, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gelinas
The surname Gelinas has its origins in France, specifically in the northern region of Normandy. It first emerged in the 11th century, derived from the Old French words "gel" meaning frost or ice, and "nas," a nose or nasal sound. The name likely referred to someone with a prominent nose, perhaps one that was reddened or discolored due to the cold weather conditions in Normandy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gelinas name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings and population in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a Norman knight named Gelinas who was granted lands in Hampshire after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
During the Middle Ages, the Gelinas name appeared in various historical documents and manuscripts, often with slight variations in spelling such as Gellinas, Gellyna, or Gelline. These variations were common due to the inconsistent nature of record-keeping and spelling conventions at the time.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Jean Gelinas was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Rouen, Normandy. He was known for his successful business dealings and involvement in local politics.
Another noteworthy individual bearing the Gelinas surname was Marie Gelinas, a French noblewoman born in 1547. She was a renowned patron of the arts and supported various artists and writers during the Renaissance period.
In the 17th century, the Gelinas name gained prominence through the exploits of Pierre Gelinas, a French explorer and fur trader who traveled extensively in the Canadian wilderness and established trading relationships with Indigenous communities.
Later, in the 19th century, a French writer and poet named Émile Gelinas (1828-1901) achieved recognition for his poetic works that celebrated the beauty of the French countryside and rural life.
One of the most famous individuals with the Gelinas surname was Jacques Gelinas (1909-1995), a celebrated Canadian playwright and actor. He was a pioneer of French-Canadian theater and played a significant role in the cultural renaissance of Quebec during the 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gelinas
Among Census respondents with the surname Gelinas, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gelinas 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 Gelinas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 2,255
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 83
- Two or more races2.7% · 66
- Black or African American0.9% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gelinas
Gelinas 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
#12,148
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,565
+85 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 538 places
2020
#12,160
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,446
-119 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 12 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,610 | 2,480 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,148 | 2,565 | 0.87 | +85 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 538 places |
| 2020 | #12,160 | 2,446 | 0.82 | -119 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 12 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 Gelinas 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 | #12,148 | #12,160 | -0.1% |
| Count | 2,565 | 2,446 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.82 | -5.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gelinas bearers went from 2,565 to 2,446 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 12 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,148 to #12,160.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gelinas
FAQ
Gelinas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gelinas?
Name Census estimates that about 2,805 living Americans carry the surname Gelinas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,194 residents.
How common is Gelinas?
Gelinas ranks #12,160 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,446 people with the surname Gelinas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,805), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Gelinas.
Has Gelinas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gelinas went from 2,565 recorded bearers to 2,446. That is a decrease of 119 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,148 to #12,160.
What does the Census say about the background of Gelinas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gelinas, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Gelinas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (2,255 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gelinas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Gelinas (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 Gelinas mean?
Derived from a French place name, referring to someone from Gelines or Gélines in western France. 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 Gelinas (0.82 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 Gelinas?
If you just want to know how many people are called Gelinas, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.