2000
#8,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,606
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Geraci
Derived from the Greek word "hierax" or "hierakion," referring to a hawk or falcon, likely denoting a hawk-like characteristic.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,999 Americans carry the last name Geraci. That puts it at #9,006 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,710 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Geraci 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
4.0K
1 in 85,710
Census rank
#9,006
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,487 bearers of the surname Geraci in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9006th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Geraci, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geraci
Among Census respondents with the surname Geraci, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Geraci 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 Geraci surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 3,152
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 214
- Two or more races2.5% · 87
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 19
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Geraci
Geraci 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
#8,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,729
+123 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Down 372 places
2020
#9,006
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,487
-242 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 215 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,419 | 3,606 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,791 | 3,729 | 1.26 | +123 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 372 places |
| 2020 | #9,006 | 3,487 | 1.17 | -242 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 215 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 Geraci 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 | #8,791 | #9,006 | -2.4% |
| Count | 3,729 | 3,487 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.26 | 1.17 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Geraci bearers went from 3,729 to 3,487 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 215 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,791 to #9,006.
FAQ
Geraci surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Geraci?
Name Census estimates that about 3,999 living Americans carry the surname Geraci. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,710 residents.
How common is Geraci?
Geraci ranks #9,006 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,487 people with the surname Geraci. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,999), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Geraci.
Has Geraci become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Geraci went from 3,729 recorded bearers to 3,487. That is a decrease of 242 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,791 to #9,006.
What does the Census say about the background of Geraci?
Among Census respondents with the surname Geraci, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.1%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Geraci in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (3,152 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Geraci appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Hispanic (6.1%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Geraci (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 Geraci mean?
Derived from the Greek word "hierax" or "hierakion," referring to a hawk or falcon, likely denoting a hawk-like characteristic. 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 Geraci (1.17 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 have the last name Geraci?
See how many people have the surname Geraci on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.