2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Geslani
A surname likely of Filipino origin, possibly derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Geslani. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Geslani 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Geslani in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Geslani, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.7%) and White (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Geslani
The surname GESLANI is believed to have originated in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period, which lasted from the 16th to the 19th century. It is considered a Spanish-Filipino surname, reflecting the influence of Spanish colonization on the naming conventions in the Philippines.
GESLANI is thought to be a combination of two root words: "ges" and "lani." The "ges" component may be derived from the Spanish word "gesta," meaning "deed" or "exploit," while "lani" could be a variation of the Filipino word "lani," meaning "heaven" or "sky." This suggests that the surname GESLANI may have been given to individuals who performed remarkable deeds or were considered heavenly or noble.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname GESLANI can be found in the baptismal records of the parish church in the town of Taal, Batangas, Philippines, dating back to the late 18th century. This indicates that the name was already in use during the Spanish colonial era.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname GESLANI. One such person was Josefa GESLANI (1834-1912), a Filipino revolutionary who actively participated in the Philippine Revolution against Spanish colonial rule in the late 19th century.
Another prominent figure was Manuel GESLANI (1877-1954), a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Philippine House of Representatives from 1922 to 1925. He was also appointed as the first Filipino Secretary of the Interior under the American colonial government in 1935.
In the field of literature, Gregorio GESLANI (1892-1976) was a renowned Filipino poet and writer. He published several collections of poetry and was recognized for his contributions to the development of Filipino literature during the early 20th century.
The GESLANI surname can also be found in historical records from other regions of the Philippines, such as the provinces of Cavite and Laguna, suggesting that the name was not confined to a single locality.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning that the GESLANI surname has undergone various spelling variations throughout history, including Geslani, Geslani, and Geslani, reflecting the influence of different languages and dialects in the Philippines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Geslani
Among Census respondents with the surname Geslani, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.7%) and White (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Geslani 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 Geslani surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander88.5% · 92
- Two or more races6.7% · 7
- White3.8% · 4
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Geslani
Geslani 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
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,644 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Up 3,644 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 Geslani 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 | #157,234 | #153,590 | 2.3% |
| Count | 103 | 104 | 1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 16.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Geslani bearers went from 103 to 104 (+1.0% change). The surname moved up 3,644 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #153,590.
FAQ
Geslani surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Geslani?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Geslani. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Geslani?
Geslani ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Geslani. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Geslani.
Has Geslani become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Geslani went from 103 recorded bearers to 104. That is an increase of 1 (+1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Geslani?
Among Census respondents with the surname Geslani, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.7%) and White (3.8%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Geslani in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Geslani appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (88.5%), Two or More Races (6.7%), White (3.8%). 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 Geslani (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 Geslani mean?
A surname likely of Filipino origin, possibly derived from a place name. 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 Geslani (0.03 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 Geslani?
If you just want to know how many people are called Geslani, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.