2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gereaux
A French surname derived from the Germanic personal name Gerard.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Gereaux. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gereaux 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Gereaux in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gereaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gereaux
The surname GEREAUX originated in France during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old French words "gereau" or "gueriau", meaning a grove or small wood. This suggests that the name may have originated as a nickname for someone who lived near a grove or wooded area.
The earliest known record of the GEREAUX name can be found in the Rolls of Normandy from the 12th century. It is believed that the name was initially concentrated in the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and Brittany.
In the 13th century, the name GEREAUX appeared in various manuscripts and historical records across northern France. For instance, a notable figure named Guillaume GEREAUX was mentioned in the records of the Abbey of Saint-Denis near Paris in 1265.
During the 14th century, the name GEREAUX began to spread across other regions of France as families migrated and settled in new areas. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jean GEREAUX, a merchant from Rouen, who was recorded in the city's guild records in 1332.
In the 15th century, the name GEREAUX was often associated with various noble families in France. One prominent figure was Pierre GEREAUX, a knight who served in the army of King Charles VII during the Hundred Years' War (1419-1453).
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the GEREAUX name continued to be found across different parts of France. Notable individuals included:
1. Étienne GEREAUX (1523-1598), a prominent lawyer and legal scholar from Paris.
2. Marie GEREAUX (1567-1632), a renowned writer and poet from Lyon.
3. Jacques GEREAUX (1621-1688), a successful merchant and landowner from Bordeaux.
4. Louis GEREAUX (1675-1741), a respected architect and urban planner from Orléans.
5. Marguerite GEREAUX (1703-1778), a celebrated actress and performer from Paris.
Over time, the GEREAUX name also developed variations in spelling, such as Gerault, Gerrault, and Gerreau, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic evolutions of the French language.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gereaux
Among Census respondents with the surname Gereaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gereaux 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 Gereaux surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 5
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gereaux
Gereaux 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
#135,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
+10 bearers (+8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 244 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-4 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,456 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #135,593 | 124 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+8.8%) | Up 244 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 6,456 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 Gereaux 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 | #135,593 | #142,049 | -4.8% |
| Count | 124 | 120 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gereaux bearers went from 124 to 120 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 6,456 positions in the national ranking, going from #135,593 to #142,049.
FAQ
Gereaux surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gereaux?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Gereaux. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Gereaux?
Gereaux ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Gereaux. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Gereaux.
Has Gereaux become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gereaux went from 124 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #135,593 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Gereaux?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gereaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). 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 Gereaux in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gereaux appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Hispanic (6.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.2%). 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 Gereaux (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 Gereaux mean?
A French surname derived from the Germanic personal name Gerard. 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 Gereaux (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 have the last name Gereaux?
Find out how many people have the surname Gereaux on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.