2000
#24,115
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 976
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Rare Last name
Gershon
A Hebrew surname derived from the biblical name Gershon, meaning "stranger there".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,204 Americans carry the last name Gershon. That puts it at #24,781 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 284,680 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gershon 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 Gershon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.2K
1 in 284,680
Census rank
#24,781
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,050 bearers of the surname Gershon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24781st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gershon, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Black (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gershon
The surname Gershon is of Hebrew origin, derived from the biblical name Gershon, which is one of the sons of Levi in the Old Testament. The name Gershon is thought to mean "expulsion" or "exile" in Hebrew.
While the name Gershon has biblical roots, it first emerged as a surname among Ashkenazi Jewish communities in Central and Eastern Europe in the late Middle Ages. As Jews were required to adopt hereditary surnames during this period, many chose names derived from biblical figures or Hebrew words.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gershon can be found in the Pinkas, a record of the Jewish community in Krakow, Poland, dating back to the 16th century. The name is also mentioned in various Jewish community records and census records from the 17th and 18th centuries in regions such as Lithuania, Ukraine, and Belarus.
Notable individuals with the surname Gershon include Levi Isaac Gershon (1688-1756), a prominent rabbi and author from Brest-Litovsk, Belarus. Another notable figure is Mordechai Gershon (1757-1831), a Polish-born rabbi and scholar who served as the Chief Rabbi of Kherson, Ukraine.
In the 19th century, individuals with the surname Gershon can be found in various parts of Europe, including Isaac Gershon (1805-1880), a German-born Hebrew grammarian, and Salomon Gershon (1834-1919), a German-born mathematician and educator.
As Jews emigrated from Eastern Europe to other parts of the world, the surname Gershon spread to different countries. One notable figure in the United States was Abraham Gershon (1882-1952), a Yiddish writer and journalist who was born in Lithuania.
While the surname Gershon has its roots in the biblical name, it evolved as a hereditary surname among Jewish communities in Eastern Europe, and its bearers have made significant contributions in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gershon
Among Census respondents with the surname Gershon, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Black (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Gershon 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 Gershon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 974
- Two or more races2.4% · 25
- Black or African American2.2% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gershon
Gershon 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
#26,887
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 903
-73 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.31
Rank movement Down 2,772 places
2020
#24,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,050
+147 bearers (+16.3%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Up 2,106 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,115 | 976 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #26,887 | 903 | 0.31 | -73 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 2,772 places |
| 2020 | #24,781 | 1,050 | 0.35 | +147 bearers (+16.3%) | Up 2,106 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 Gershon 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 | #26,887 | #24,781 | 7.8% |
| Count | 903 | 1,050 | 16.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.31 | 0.35 | 13.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gershon bearers went from 903 to 1,050 (+16.3% change). The surname moved up 2,106 positions in the national ranking, going from #26,887 to #24,781.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gershon
FAQ
Gershon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gershon?
Name Census estimates that about 1,204 living Americans carry the surname Gershon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 284,680 residents.
How common is Gershon?
Gershon ranks #24,781 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.35 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 1,050 people with the surname Gershon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,204), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.35 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 Gershon.
Has Gershon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gershon went from 903 recorded bearers to 1,050. That is an increase of 147 (+16.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #26,887 to #24,781.
What does the Census say about the background of Gershon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gershon, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.4%) and Black (2.2%). 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 Gershon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (974 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gershon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (2.4%), Black (2.2%). 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 Gershon (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 Gershon mean?
A Hebrew surname derived from the biblical name Gershon, meaning "stranger there". 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 Gershon (0.35 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 share the surname Gershon?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.