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

Gervais, 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 Gervais surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gervais in America

Gervais is the 6488th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gervais surname appeared 5,233 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Gervais.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gervais 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 Gervais

The surname GERVAIS is of ancient French origin, derived from the personal name Gervaise. It is believed to have emerged in the region of Normandy, France, during the early medieval period.

The name is thought to be a contracted form of the Germanic name Gervasius, which itself is derived from the elements "gair" meaning "spear" and "waidanjan" meaning "to hunt." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a skilled hunter or warrior.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name GERVAIS can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners and tenants in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This record mentions a landowner named Gervais de Cornhill, indicating that the name had already been established in Normandy before the Norman Conquest of England.

During the Middle Ages, the surname GERVAIS began to spread throughout France and England, with various spellings such as Gervays, Gerveys, and Gervase appearing in historical documents. One notable figure bearing this name was Gervais of Tilbury (c. 1150-1228), an English writer and clerk who served under King John of England.

In the 13th century, a French aristocrat named Gervais de Châteauneuf (c. 1230-1292) gained prominence as a diplomat and advisor to King Louis IX of France. He played a significant role in the negotiations that led to the Treaty of Paris in 1259, which resolved conflicts between France and England.

Another historical figure with the surname GERVAIS was Jean Gervais (c. 1370-1425), a French theologian and scholar who served as the Chancellor of the University of Paris. He was known for his writings on philosophy and his involvement in the Council of Constance, a key event in the resolution of the Western Schism in the Catholic Church.

In the 16th century, the name GERVAIS was borne by Claude Gervais (c. 1510-1585), a French Renaissance poet and playwright. His works, including the tragedy "La Tragédie de Sémélé," were influential in the development of early modern French literature.

Throughout its history, the surname GERVAIS has been associated with various locations, such as the village of Gervais in the Isère department of southeastern France, and the town of Gervasi in the Sardinia region of Italy.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gervais

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

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

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

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