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

Gerez, 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 Gerez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gerez in America

Gerez is the 78821st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gerez surname appeared 242 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gerez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gerez 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 Gerez

The surname GEREZ has its origins in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Basque word "gerezi," which means "cherry," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near a cherry orchard or was involved in the cultivation or trade of cherries.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GEREZ can be found in a 13th-century census record from the village of Guipúzcoa, located in the Basque Country of Spain. The document mentions a certain Petri de Gerez, who was likely a landowner or prominent citizen of the area.

In the late 15th century, the name GEREZ appeared in a legal document from the city of Bayonne, France, which was historically part of the Basque region. The document recorded a dispute over land ownership between a family named Gerez and a neighboring landowner.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name GEREZ was found in various records and manuscripts from the Basque regions of Spain and France. Notable individuals with this surname include Juan de Gerez (1532-1604), a Basque priest and philosopher who wrote extensively on theology and ethics, and María de Gerez (1587-1658), a noblewoman from the town of Hernani, Spain, who was known for her philanthropic works.

In the 18th century, the GEREZ name gained prominence in the Basque region, particularly in the town of Guipúzcoa, where several families with this surname were involved in the local government and trade. One notable figure from this era was Pedro de Gerez (1712-1783), a successful merchant and shipowner who played a significant role in the maritime trade between Spain and the Americas.

As the Basque people migrated to other parts of Europe and the Americas in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname GEREZ spread to various regions. For example, José Gerez (1828-1912) was a Chilean politician and diplomat of Basque descent, and Mariano Gerez (1861-1932) was an Argentine writer and journalist who was born in the Basque region of Spain before immigrating to Argentina.

While the surname GEREZ has its roots in the Basque region, it has become more widely dispersed throughout the world due to migration and cultural exchanges. However, its origins can be traced back to the cherry-growing regions of northern Spain and southwestern France, where the name first emerged during the Middle Ages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gerez

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

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

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

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