2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Geranen
A surname referring to someone from Gerania, a region in Greece.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Geranen. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Geranen 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Geranen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Geranen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Geranen
The surname GERANEN is of German origin, with roots tracing back to the 16th century. It is likely derived from the Old German word "geren," meaning "to desire" or "to long for." In its earliest form, the name was spelled as "Geranen" or "Gerahnen."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GERANEN surname can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the town of Augsburg, Bavaria, dating back to the late 1500s. Here, the name appears in various spellings, including "Gerahnen" and "Geranen."
In the 17th century, the GERANEN name gained prominence in the town of Flensburg, located in what is now the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Local records from this period show several families bearing this surname, with variations such as "Geranen" and "Gehranen."
Notably, a Johannes GERANEN (1620-1678) was a respected merchant and alderman in Flensburg during the mid-17th century. His son, Hans GERANEN (1651-1721), followed in his footsteps and became a prominent figure in the town's trade guilds.
In the 18th century, the GERANEN surname spread to other parts of northern Germany, including the regions of Mecklenburg and Pomerania. One notable bearer of this name was Carl Friedrich GERANEN (1738-1812), a theologian and author from Rostock, who wrote several influential works on religious philosophy.
As the surname spread across Germany, it also found its way into neighboring countries, particularly in the regions that were once part of the Holy Roman Empire. In the early 19th century, a Johann GERANEN (1791-1864) was a respected merchant and landowner in the town of Opava, which is now part of the Czech Republic.
Throughout the centuries, the GERANEN surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, ranging from merchants and tradesmen to scholars and clergymen. While not a particularly common name, it has left its mark in the historical records of several German-speaking regions and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geranen
Among Census respondents with the surname Geranen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Geranen 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 Geranen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 103
- Two or more races4.3% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Geranen
Geranen appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+11 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,287 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 10,287 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 Geranen 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 | #156,044 | #145,757 | 6.6% |
| Count | 104 | 115 | 10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Geranen bearers went from 104 to 115 (+10.6% change). The surname moved up 10,287 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #145,757.
FAQ
Geranen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Geranen?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Geranen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Geranen?
Geranen ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Geranen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Geranen.
Has Geranen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Geranen went from 104 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 11 (+10.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Geranen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Geranen, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Geranen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (103 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Geranen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Geranen (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 Geranen mean?
A surname referring to someone from Gerania, a region in Greece. 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 Geranen (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 Geranen?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.