2000
#6,350
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,935
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.83
Rare Last name
Gervais
French occupational surname referring to a servant or a spear servant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,930 Americans carry the last name Gervais. That puts it at #6,320 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,800 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gervais 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 Gervais with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.9K
1 in 57,800
Census rank
#6,320
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,171 bearers of the surname Gervais in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6320th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gervais, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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to spread throughout France and England, with various spellings such as Gervays, Gerveys, and Gervase appearing in historical documents.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gervais
Among Census respondents with the surname Gervais, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gervais 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 Gervais surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.2% · 4,248
- Black or African American7.7% · 398
- Two or more races4.0% · 206
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 190
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gervais
Gervais 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
#6,488
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,233
+298 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.77
Rank movement Down 138 places
2020
#6,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,171
-62 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Up 168 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,350 | 4,935 | 1.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,488 | 5,233 | 1.77 | +298 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 138 places |
| 2020 | #6,320 | 5,171 | 1.73 | -62 bearers (-1.2%) | Up 168 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 Gervais 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 | #6,488 | #6,320 | 2.6% |
| Count | 5,233 | 5,171 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.77 | 1.73 | -2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gervais bearers went from 5,233 to 5,171 (-1.2% change). The surname moved up 168 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,488 to #6,320.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gervais
FAQ
Gervais surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gervais?
Name Census estimates that about 5,930 living Americans carry the surname Gervais. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,800 residents.
How common is Gervais?
Gervais ranks #6,320 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,171 people with the surname Gervais. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,930), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Gervais.
Has Gervais become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gervais went from 5,233 recorded bearers to 5,171. That is a decrease of 62 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,488 to #6,320.
What does the Census say about the background of Gervais?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gervais, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.2%. The next largest groups are Black (7.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Gervais in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.2% (4,248 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gervais appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.2%), Black (7.7%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Gervais (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 Gervais mean?
French occupational surname referring to a servant or a spear servant. 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 Gervais (1.73 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 Gervais?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Gervais on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.