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

George, 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 George surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of George in America

George is the 235th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The George surname appeared 128,625 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 44 people would have the surname George.

We can also compare 2010 data for George 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 George

The surname George originated from the personal name George, which itself derived from the Greek name Georgios meaning "earth-worker" or "farmer". The name first appeared in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066, introduced by knights and retainers from France.

The earliest recorded spelling of the surname George is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Georgi and Georgius. These entries refer to landholders in Cambridgeshire and Hampshire. Over time, the name evolved into various spellings such as Georgs, Georgge, and George.

In the 12th century, the surname George was particularly prevalent in the south of England, especially in counties like Kent, Surrey, and Sussex. This may have been due to the influence of the St George's Cross, which became the national emblem of England during the Crusades.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname George was Sir John George, a knight who fought alongside Richard the Lionheart in the Third Crusade (1189-1192). Another notable figure was Robert George (c.1325-1392), a prominent merchant and alderman of London who served as Lord Mayor in 1376.

During the 15th century, the surname George was found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, where the George family of Sewerby held estates. One member of this family, Sir Robert George (1455-1522), served as a courtier to Henry VII and Henry VIII.

In Scotland, the surname George can be traced back to the 14th century, with records showing a John George who held lands in Aberdeenshire in the 1360s. The George family of Balgonie in Fife was also notable, with Andrew George (1575-1647) serving as Lord Bishop of Raphoe in Ireland.

Other prominent individuals with the surname George include Sir Edward George (1628-1692), a judge and politician who served as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, and Sir Samuel George (1787-1828), a British naval officer who participated in the Napoleonic Wars.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name George

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

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 George 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 George 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 George was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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