2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gessay
A locational surname derived from the French "gesir" meaning "to lie down".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Gessay. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gessay 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Gessay in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gessay, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gessay
The surname GESSAY has its origins in the French region of Normandy, dating back to the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "gesier," meaning "crop" or "gullet," which may have initially referred to a person's physical characteristics or occupation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the GESSAY name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appeared as "Gessay" and was associated with landholdings in the counties of Hampshire and Sussex.
During the Middle Ages, the GESSAY name was particularly prevalent in the Norman regions of France, including the areas around Rouen and Caen. Several notable individuals bearing this surname emerged during this period, such as Guillaume GESSAY, a prominent merchant from Rouen who lived in the late 13th century.
In the 15th century, the name GESSAY was also found in various records and manuscripts in England, likely due to the influx of Norman settlers following the Norman Conquest in 1066. One notable individual was John GESSAY, a landowner in the county of Somerset, born around 1420.
As the centuries progressed, the GESSAY surname spread across Europe, with various spellings emerging, such as Gessey, Gessai, and Gessaye. In the 17th century, a prominent figure named Pierre GESSAY (1602-1672) was a renowned scholar and theologian from the French city of Orleans.
Another noteworthy individual was Marie-Françoise GESSAY (1719-1801), a French noblewoman and philanthropist who established several charitable institutions in Paris. Her efforts earned her recognition during her lifetime and contributed to the legacy of the GESSAY name.
In the 19th century, the GESSAY surname gained prominence in the literary world with the author and poet Louis GESSAY (1828-1892), whose works explored themes of nature and rural life in his native Normandy region.
Throughout history, the GESSAY name has been associated with various occupations and professions, from merchants and landowners to scholars and artists, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this surname across different eras and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gessay
Among Census respondents with the surname Gessay, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gessay 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 Gessay surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gessay
Gessay 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 10,364 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-8 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,788 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 10,364 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 6,788 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 Gessay 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 | #146,201 | #152,989 | -4.6% |
| Count | 113 | 105 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gessay bearers went from 113 to 105 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 6,788 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #152,989.
FAQ
Gessay surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gessay?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Gessay. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Gessay?
Gessay ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Gessay. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Gessay.
Has Gessay become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gessay went from 113 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Gessay?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gessay, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Gessay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gessay appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Hispanic (2.9%), Black (1.9%). 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 Gessay (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 Gessay mean?
A locational surname derived from the French "gesir" meaning "to lie down". 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 Gessay (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 many people have the surname Gessay?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.