2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gelso
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "gelso" meaning mulberry tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Gelso. 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 Gelso 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 Gelso 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 Gelso, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gelso
The surname Gelso originates from Italy, specifically the northern regions of Lombardy and Veneto. It can be traced back to the 12th century, derived from the Italian word "gelso," meaning mulberry tree. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely associated with the cultivation or trade of mulberry trees, which were crucial for the silk industry prevalent in those regions during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gelso can be found in the "Estimo Veneto," a land registry document from the Venetian Republic, dating back to the 14th century. It mentions several individuals with the surname Gelso residing in the cities of Venice and Verona.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Giovanni Gelso (1420-1490) was a renowned silk merchant from the city of Como. His success in the silk trade contributed to the surname's association with this industry.
During the Renaissance period, the Gelso family from Vicenza produced several notable artists and architects. The most famous among them was Andrea Gelso (1492-1564), a skilled painter and fresco artist who contributed to the decoration of numerous churches and palaces in Venice and the surrounding areas.
Another prominent individual was Pietro Gelso (1550-1623), a respected jurist and legal scholar from Padua. His writings on civil law were widely studied and cited throughout the Italian states.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Gelso family relocated to Sicily, where they became landowners and vineyard proprietors. One notable member was Vincenzo Gelso (1725-1798), whose vineyards were renowned for producing exceptional wines exported throughout the Mediterranean region.
The surname Gelso has also been associated with several place names in northern Italy, such as the village of Gelso in the province of Verona, and the Gelso River, a tributary of the Adige River, which flows through the Veneto region.
Throughout its history, the surname Gelso has been documented with various spellings, including Gelsio, Gelzi, and Gielso, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic variations within Italy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gelso
Among Census respondents with the surname Gelso, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gelso 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 Gelso surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 8
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gelso
Gelso 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,538 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,631 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 10,538 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,631 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 Gelso 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 | #140,157 | #142,788 | -1.9% |
| Count | 119 | 119 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gelso bearers went from 119 to 119 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 2,631 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #142,788.
FAQ
Gelso surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gelso?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Gelso. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Gelso?
Gelso 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 Gelso. 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 Gelso.
Has Gelso become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gelso went from 119 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Gelso?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gelso, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Gelso in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gelso appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Hispanic (6.7%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Gelso (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 Gelso mean?
An Italian surname derived from the Italian word "gelso" meaning mulberry tree. 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 Gelso (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 share the surname Gelso?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.