2000
#39,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 520
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.19
Rare Last name
Gerges
A surname derived from the male given name George, of Greek origin meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,641 Americans carry the last name Gerges. That puts it at #12,780 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,782 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gerges 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
2.6K
1 in 129,782
Census rank
#12,780
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,303 bearers of the surname Gerges in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12780th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerges, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gerges
The surname GERGES is believed to have originated in Egypt, with roots tracing back to the ancient Greek language. The name is derived from the Greek word "Georgios," meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker." This connection suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been farmers or individuals involved in agricultural activities in the region.
Records indicate that the GERGES surname first appeared in Egypt during the Byzantine period, when a significant Greek-speaking population resided in the country. The earliest known reference to the name can be found in a manuscript dated from the 6th century AD, which mentions a landowner named "Georgios Gerges" in the Nile Delta region.
As the Arab conquest of Egypt took place in the 7th century, the GERGES surname underwent various linguistic transformations. The Arabic language influenced the pronunciation and spelling of the name, leading to variations such as "Girgis" and "Jirjis." These variations were commonly used among Coptic Christians in Egypt, who maintained their ancestral Greek names alongside their new Arabic identities.
Throughout the medieval period, the GERGES surname continued to appear in various Egyptian records and documents. One notable example is a 12th-century tax register from the Fatimid Caliphate, which lists several landowners with the surname GERGES in the region of al-Fayyum.
In the 14th century, a prominent figure bearing the GERGES surname was Anba Girgis al-Muqaddes (1268-1339), a Coptic Christian bishop and saint who served as the Patriarch of Alexandria. His life and works were documented in several hagiographies, further cementing the historical presence of the GERGES surname in Egypt.
During the Ottoman period, the GERGES surname remained prevalent among Coptic Christians in Egypt. One notable individual was Ibrahim Gerges (1600-1665), a Coptic scholar and theologian who authored several influential works on Coptic liturgy and theology.
Another significant figure was Mikhail Gerges (1753-1821), a Coptic historian and writer who chronicled the history of the Coptic Church and served as the personal secretary to several Coptic patriarchs. His detailed accounts provide valuable insights into the lives and experiences of Coptic Christians during the Ottoman era.
In the 19th century, a prominent bearer of the GERGES surname was Boutros Gerges (1820-1895), a Coptic lawyer and judge who played a crucial role in the modernization of Egypt's legal system during the reign of Khedive Ismail Pasha.
As the GERGES surname spread beyond Egypt, it also found its way into other regions with Coptic Christian communities, such as Sudan, Ethiopia, and parts of the Levant. However, the historical roots and earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to its Egyptian origins, with a rich tapestry of cultural and linguistic influences woven into its evolution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gerges
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerges, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gerges 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 Gerges surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 2,200
- Two or more races1.9% · 43
- Hispanic or Latino1.2% · 28
- Black or African American1.2% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gerges
Gerges 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
#24,593
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,016
+496 bearers (+95.4%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Up 15,163 places
2020
#12,780
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,303
+1,287 bearers (+126.7%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Up 11,813 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,756 | 520 | 0.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,593 | 1,016 | 0.34 | +496 bearers (+95.4%) | Up 15,163 places |
| 2020 | #12,780 | 2,303 | 0.77 | +1,287 bearers (+126.7%) | Up 11,813 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 Gerges 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 | #24,593 | #12,780 | 48.0% |
| Count | 1,016 | 2,303 | 126.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.34 | 0.77 | 126.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gerges bearers went from 1,016 to 2,303 (+126.7% change). The surname moved up 11,813 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,593 to #12,780.
FAQ
Gerges surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gerges?
Name Census estimates that about 2,641 living Americans carry the surname Gerges. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,782 residents.
How common is Gerges?
Gerges ranks #12,780 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,303 people with the surname Gerges. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,641), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Gerges.
Has Gerges become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gerges went from 1,016 recorded bearers to 2,303. That is an increase of 1,287 (+126.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #24,593 to #12,780.
What does the Census say about the background of Gerges?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerges, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.2%). 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 Gerges in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (2,200 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gerges appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Two or More Races (1.9%), Hispanic (1.2%). 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 Gerges (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 Gerges mean?
A surname derived from the male given name George, of Greek origin meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker". 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 Gerges (0.77 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 common is the surname Gerges?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Gerges, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.