2010
#152,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gerolaga
A compound surname of uncertain origin possibly combining roots meaning "old" and "farm".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Gerolaga. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gerolaga 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Gerolaga in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerolaga, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 46.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (38.1%) and White (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gerolaga
The surname GEROLAGA has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France. The name is believed to have emerged during the early medieval period, around the 7th or 8th century AD. It is thought to be derived from a combination of Basque words, possibly "gero" meaning "later" and "laga" meaning "left" or "abandoned."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GEROLAGA surname can be found in a 12th-century cartulary from the monastery of San Juan de la Peña in Aragon, Spain, where a certain Pero Gerolaga is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by that time.
In the 13th century, there are records of a notable individual named Juan Gerolaga, who served as a knight and advisor to King Alfonso X of Castile (1221-1284). Juan's service to the Crown is documented in several royal charters and chronicles from that period.
During the 15th century, the GEROLAGA name appears to have spread beyond the Basque region, with a family by that name settling in the city of Seville in Andalusia. One of their descendants, Rodrigo de Gerolaga (c. 1460-1525), became a prominent merchant and banker, known for his extensive trade connections with the Americas.
In the 16th century, a branch of the GEROLAGA family established itself in the Canary Islands, where they became involved in the local wine trade. Juan Bautista Gerolaga (1532-1602), a vintner from Tenerife, is mentioned in several historical documents as a supplier of wines to the Spanish court.
Another notable figure bearing the GEROLAGA surname was María Gerolaga (1670-1748), a renowned painter from Valencia, whose works can still be found in several churches and museums across Spain. She was admired for her skill in portraiture and religious scenes.
Over the centuries, the GEROLAGA name has seen various spellings and variations, such as Gerolaga, Gerólaga, Gerolaga, and Jerólaga, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in orthography. However, the core elements of the name have remained largely intact, a testament to its enduring Basque roots.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gerolaga
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerolaga, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 46.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (38.1%) and White (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gerolaga 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 Gerolaga surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander46.0% · 52
- Hispanic or Latino38.1% · 43
- White5.3% · 6
- Two or more races5.3% · 6
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gerolaga
Gerolaga 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
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,407 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #152,628 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Up 5,407 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 Gerolaga 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 | #152,628 | #147,221 | 3.5% |
| Count | 107 | 113 | 5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gerolaga bearers went from 107 to 113 (+5.6% change). The surname moved up 5,407 positions in the national ranking, going from #152,628 to #147,221.
FAQ
Gerolaga surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gerolaga?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Gerolaga. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Gerolaga?
Gerolaga ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Gerolaga. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Gerolaga.
Has Gerolaga become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gerolaga went from 107 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 6 (+5.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #152,628 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Gerolaga?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerolaga, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 46.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (38.1%) and White (5.3%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gerolaga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.0% (52 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gerolaga appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (46.0%), Hispanic (38.1%), White (5.3%). 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 Gerolaga (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 Gerolaga mean?
A compound surname of uncertain origin possibly combining roots meaning "old" and "farm". 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 Gerolaga (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 Americans have the surname Gerolaga?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.