2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Gershuny
A surname of possibly Yiddish origin, possibly deriving from the word "gerste" meaning "barley".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Gershuny. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gershuny 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Gershuny in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gershuny, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gershuny
The surname Gershuny is of Eastern European Jewish origin, likely stemming from the regions of modern-day Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, or Russia. It is believed to be a toponymic name, derived from a place name, though the exact location is uncertain. The name may have originated as early as the 16th or 17th century.
One possible theory is that the name Gershuny is derived from the Yiddish word "gersht," meaning "barley," suggesting the name may have originated from a place associated with the cultivation or trade of barley. Another possibility is that it is a variant spelling of the name Gershuni, which may be linked to the Hebrew name Gershon, meaning "stranger" or "exile."
In historical records, the earliest known mention of the Gershuny surname appears to be in a 1784 census of Jewish households in the Pale of Settlement, a region of the Russian Empire where Jews were legally permitted to reside. This suggests that the name was already well-established among Ashkenazi Jewish communities by the late 18th century.
One notable bearer of the Gershuny surname was Mikhail Gershuny (1892-1983), a Russian-born artist and illustrator who immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century. His works were exhibited in various galleries and museums across America, and he is recognized for his contributions to the Cubist and Expressionist movements.
Another individual of significance was Lev Gershuny (1888-1939), a Russian-born revolutionary and Bolshevik activist who played a role in the Russian Revolution of 1917. He served as a member of the Cheka, the early Soviet secret police, and later held positions in the Soviet government.
The name Gershuny can also be found in historical records from the 19th century, such as the 1858 book "The Jewish Encyclopedia" by Isidore Singer, which mentions a Rabbi Gershuny from the town of Galicia, now part of modern-day Poland and Ukraine.
In the early 20th century, a notable figure named Boris Gershuny (1892-1984) was a Russian-born painter and art teacher who emigrated to the United States. His works were exhibited in various galleries and museums across America, and he taught at several prestigious art schools.
Another individual named Isaac Gershuny (1876-1963) was a Russian-born American businessman and philanthropist who founded a successful textile company in New York City. He was known for his philanthropic efforts in supporting Jewish communities and cultural organizations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gershuny
Among Census respondents with the surname Gershuny, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Gershuny 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 Gershuny surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.0% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 8
- Two or more races4.7% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gershuny
Gershuny 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
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
+5 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,793 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.9%) | Up 6,793 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 Gershuny 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 | #158,432 | #151,639 | 4.3% |
| Count | 102 | 107 | 4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 19.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gershuny bearers went from 102 to 107 (+4.9% change). The surname moved up 6,793 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #151,639.
FAQ
Gershuny surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gershuny?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Gershuny. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Gershuny?
Gershuny ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Gershuny. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Gershuny.
Has Gershuny become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gershuny went from 102 recorded bearers to 107. That is an increase of 5 (+4.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Gershuny?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gershuny, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.5%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Gershuny in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.0% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gershuny appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.0%), Hispanic (7.5%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Gershuny (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 Gershuny mean?
A surname of possibly Yiddish origin, possibly deriving from the word "gerste" meaning "barley". 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 Gershuny (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 people have the last name Gershuny?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Gershuny? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.