2000
#9,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,055
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Gerry
Derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "spear" or "spear-ruler," originally referring to someone bearing that name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,901 Americans carry the last name Gerry. That puts it at #11,833 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,150 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gerry 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Gerry with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 118,150
Census rank
#11,833
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,530 bearers of the surname Gerry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11833rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerry, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gerry
The surname Gerry originated in Ireland and has its roots in the Gaelic language. It is a variant of the Irish name Ó Geirí, which means "descendant of Geirí." The name Geirí itself is derived from the Old Irish word "gair," meaning "calling" or "shouting."
The earliest recorded instances of the name Gerry can be traced back to the 13th century in County Mayo, Ireland. The name was prominent among the ruling Gaelic families in the region during this period.
In medieval Irish records, the name was often spelled as "O'Gerry" or "O'Gairry." These spellings reflect the Anglicization of the original Irish name, which occurred as English influence grew in Ireland.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Muircheartach Ó Geirí, a prominent chieftain who lived in the 13th century. He was a member of the Uí Briúin Aí dynasty, which ruled over parts of County Mayo.
Another notable figure was Eoghan Ó Geirí, a 16th-century Irish poet and scholar. He was renowned for his works in the Irish language and his contributions to preserving the rich literary traditions of his time.
In the 17th century, the surname Gerry gained prominence in Munster, particularly in County Clare. During the Irish Confederate Wars (1641-1653), Donough Gerry was a notable military leader who fought against the English forces.
The name Gerry has also been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Gerry's Island in County Mayo and Gerryloughra in County Kerry. These place names likely derived from the presence of Gerry families in those areas.
Other notable individuals with the surname Gerry include Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814), an American statesman and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He served as the 5th Vice President under James Madison.
In more recent times, Gerard Gerry (1914-1998) was a renowned Irish actor and playwright. He was best known for his work in the Abbey Theatre and his contributions to the Irish literary scene.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gerry
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerry, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Gerry 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 Gerry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 2,216
- Two or more races4.7% · 118
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 86
- Black or African American2.3% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 31
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gerry
Gerry 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
#11,229
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,814
-241 bearers (-7.9%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 1,461 places
2020
#11,833
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,530
-284 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 604 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,768 | 3,055 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,229 | 2,814 | 0.95 | -241 bearers (-7.9%) | Down 1,461 places |
| 2020 | #11,833 | 2,530 | 0.85 | -284 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 604 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 Gerry 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 | #11,229 | #11,833 | -5.4% |
| Count | 2,814 | 2,530 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.85 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gerry bearers went from 2,814 to 2,530 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 604 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,229 to #11,833.
FAQ
Gerry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gerry?
Name Census estimates that about 2,901 living Americans carry the surname Gerry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,150 residents.
How common is Gerry?
Gerry ranks #11,833 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,530 people with the surname Gerry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,901), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Gerry.
Has Gerry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gerry went from 2,814 recorded bearers to 2,530. That is a decrease of 284 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,229 to #11,833.
What does the Census say about the background of Gerry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gerry, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Gerry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (2,216 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gerry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Two or More Races (4.7%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Gerry (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 Gerry mean?
Derived from a Germanic personal name meaning "spear" or "spear-ruler," originally referring to someone bearing that name. 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 Gerry (0.85 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 Gerry?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Gerry, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.