2000
#134,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gersky
A surname indicating an origin in the German village of Gerske or Gersken.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Gersky. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gersky 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Gersky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gersky, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gersky
The surname Gersky is of Czech origin, with its roots traceable back to the 13th century in the region of Bohemia, now part of the modern-day Czech Republic. The name is derived from the Slavic word "gera," meaning "honor" or "dignity," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name were individuals held in high esteem within their communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gersky can be found in the Bohemian Land Register of 1379, where a certain Petr Gersky was listed as a landowner in the village of Chrudim. This document provides valuable insight into the historical prominence of the Gersky family during the medieval period.
In the 15th century, the name Gersky appeared in the chronicles of the Hussite Wars, a series of religious conflicts that engulfed Bohemia and neighboring regions. A notable figure from this era was Jan Gersky, a devout follower of the reformist preacher Jan Hus, who played a significant role in the Hussite movement's struggle against the Catholic Church.
As the Gersky family expanded and migrated across Central Europe, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, including Gerski, Gierski, and Giersky. These variations were often influenced by the local dialects and linguistic traditions of the regions where the family settled.
The 17th century saw the rise of a prominent Gersky family in the city of Krakow, Poland, where they established themselves as influential merchants and landowners. One of the most notable members of this branch was Tomasz Gersky (1620-1689), a respected philanthropist and patron of the arts who commissioned the construction of several churches and public buildings in Krakow.
In the 19th century, the Gersky name gained further recognition with the birth of the renowned Czech painter and illustrator, Karel Gersky (1834-1901). His works, which often depicted scenes from Czech folklore and rural life, earned him widespread acclaim and a place in the annals of Czech art history.
Another notable figure bearing the Gersky surname was Ludmila Gersky (1892-1976), a pioneering Czech physicist and academic. She made significant contributions to the field of nuclear physics and was one of the first women to hold a professorship at Charles University in Prague.
Throughout its long and storied history, the surname Gersky has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including artists, scholars, soldiers, and statesmen, all of whom have left an indelible mark on the cultural and historical landscape of Central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gersky
Among Census respondents with the surname Gersky, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gersky 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 Gersky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gersky
Gersky 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-8 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,495 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,327 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,037 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 17,495 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 1,327 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 Gersky 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 | #151,532 | #150,205 | 0.9% |
| Count | 108 | 109 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gersky bearers went from 108 to 109 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 1,327 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #150,205.
FAQ
Gersky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gersky?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Gersky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Gersky?
Gersky ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Gersky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Gersky.
Has Gersky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gersky went from 108 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Gersky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gersky, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.4%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Gersky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gersky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (6.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Gersky (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 Gersky mean?
A surname indicating an origin in the German village of Gerske or Gersken. 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 Gersky (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 common is the surname Gersky?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Gersky, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.