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

Gervasi, 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 Gervasi surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gervasi in America

Gervasi is the 20285th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gervasi surname appeared 1,311 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gervasi.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gervasi 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 Gervasi

The surname Gervasi has its origins in Italy, tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Latin name Gervasius, which itself is a combination of the Germanic elements "ger" meaning a spear, and "wais" meaning a stranger. This name was initially used as a personal name before becoming a hereditary surname.

Gervasi is believed to have first emerged in the region of Tuscany, particularly in the city of Florence. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Florentine archives from the year 1221, when a certain Gherardo Gervasi was mentioned as a landowner.

In the 13th century, the Gervasi family gained prominence in the city of Pisa, where they were actively involved in the maritime trade and held positions of influence. A notable figure from this period was Ranieri Gervasi, a wealthy merchant and ship owner who lived between 1230 and 1298.

The name Gervasi also appeared in historic records from other parts of Italy, including Genoa and Venice. In 1348, a document from Genoa mentioned a Niccolò Gervasi, who was a prominent banker and financier during the time of the Black Death.

In the 15th century, the Gervasi family established itself in the city of Naples, where they were known for their involvement in the legal profession. One of the most famous members of this branch was Girolamo Gervasi, a renowned jurist who lived from 1445 to 1521 and served as a legal advisor to several noble families.

Another notable figure was Giambattista Gervasi, an Italian painter who was born in Rome in 1660 and died in 1722. He was renowned for his religious paintings and frescoes, many of which can still be found in churches throughout Italy.

Over the centuries, the name Gervasi has also been associated with various place names, such as Gervasi di Prato, a town in the province of Prato, Tuscany, and Gervasi di Cantù, a commune in the province of Como, Lombardy.

While the Gervasi surname has its roots in Italy, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. Some notable individuals with this surname include the American writer Stephen Gervasi (1924-2020), the Argentine journalist Fabián Gervasi (born 1963), and the French actor and director Hervé Gervasi (born 1967).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gervasi

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

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

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

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