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

Gerrish, 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 Gerrish surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gerrish in America

Gerrish is the 16536th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gerrish surname appeared 1,736 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Gerrish.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gerrish 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 Gerrish

The surname Gerrish is of English origin, derived from the Old English personal name "Gærræd" or "Gærric," composed of the elements "gær" meaning "spear" and "ræd" or "ric" meaning "counsel" or "power." It likely originated in the southern counties of England during the Anglo-Saxon period, as many surnames evolved from personal names.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gerrish can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which mentions a landowner named "Garericus" in Gloucestershire. Over time, the spelling evolved to Gerrishe, Gerryshe, and eventually Gerrish.

In the 13th century, records show a John Gerrysh residing in Berkshire, while a Walter Gerrisch was recorded in Oxfordshire during the same period. These early mentions suggest the name was well-established in the southern counties by the medieval era.

The name Gerrish is also associated with various place names in England, such as Gerrish's Farm in Oxfordshire and Gerrish's Coppice in Worcestershire, hinting at the presence of families bearing this surname in those areas.

Notable individuals with the surname Gerrish include:

1. Sir John Gerrish (c. 1601-1677), an English politician and member of Parliament during the English Civil War.
2. Benjamin Gerrish (1666-1737), a colonial physician and surgeon in Boston, Massachusetts, known for his medical writings.
3. Joseph Gerrish (1677-1723), a British military officer and member of the Massachusetts General Court.
4. Samuel Gerrish (1719-1795), an American minister and educator who served as the first president of Harvard College (now Harvard University).
5. Theodore Gerrish (1840-1918), an American businessman and politician who served as the 49th Governor of New Hampshire from 1909 to 1911.

The surname Gerrish has a rich history dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period and has been prevalent in various regions of England, particularly the southern counties. Over time, it has been associated with notable individuals in various fields, including politics, medicine, and education.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gerrish

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!