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

Geraci, 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 Geraci surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Geraci in America

Geraci is the 8791st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Geraci surname appeared 3,729 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Geraci.

We can also compare 2010 data for Geraci 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 Geraci

The surname Geraci originated in Italy and is derived from the place name Geraci, a town located in the province of Palermo, Sicily. The name is believed to have its roots in the Greek word "geranos," meaning "crane," which could suggest that the town was once a resting place for migrating cranes.

Geraci is an ancient name that can be traced back to the 11th century. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Guglielmo Geraci, a nobleman who lived in Palermo during the Norman period in Sicily (11th-12th centuries).

In the Middle Ages, the town of Geraci was a thriving center of culture and commerce. It was mentioned in several medieval chronicles and documents, including the "Liber de Secretis" written by Petrus de Ebulo in the 12th century.

During the Renaissance period, the Geraci family produced several notable figures. One of the most prominent was Vincenzo Geraci (1518-1592), a renowned philosopher and theologian who taught at the University of Padua and wrote extensively on subjects such as logic and metaphysics.

In the 17th century, Girolamo Geraci (1636-1710) was a celebrated architect who designed several churches and palaces in Palermo, including the Church of San Domenico and the Palazzo Geraci.

Another prominent bearer of the name was Giuseppe Geraci (1828-1905), an Italian patriot and politician who played a significant role in the unification of Italy under the leadership of Giuseppe Garibaldi.

In the late 19th century, Antonio Geraci (1872-1942) was a renowned poet and writer from Sicily who gained recognition for his works celebrating the beauty of his homeland and its rich cultural heritage.

Throughout history, variations of the name Geraci have emerged, such as Gerace, Gerachi, and Gheraci, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the regions where the name was present.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Geraci

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

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

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

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