2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Gherna
A Punjabi surname derived from the village of Gherna or Ghernaya.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Gherna. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gherna 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Gherna in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gherna, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.8%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gherna
The surname Gherna is believed to have originated in the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, particularly in areas that are now part of modern-day Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is thought to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.
The name Gherna is derived from the Persian word "gharn," which means "mountain" or "hill." This suggests that the name may have initially been given to individuals or families who lived in or near mountainous regions. It is also possible that the name was associated with a particular occupation or trade related to these geographic features.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Gherna can be found in the archives of the Delhi Sultanate, which ruled over parts of northern India from the 13th to the 16th centuries. These records mention a person named Ghulam Gherna, who served as a military officer under the Lodi dynasty in the late 15th century.
In the 16th century, a famous Sufi saint and poet named Gharna Shakh gained recognition in the regions of present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan. His writings and teachings had a significant influence on the spiritual and literary traditions of the time.
During the Mughal Empire, which ruled over most of the Indian subcontinent from the 16th to the 19th centuries, the Gherna family was known for their expertise in textile production and trade. Historians have documented the presence of merchants and artisans with the surname Gherna in various cities, such as Lahore and Multan.
Another notable figure bearing the name Gherna was Mirza Ghulam Gherna, a renowned scholar and philosopher who lived in the 17th century. He wrote extensively on topics ranging from theology to astronomy and was highly respected in intellectual circles of his time.
In the 19th century, Malik Gherna Khan, a influential landowner and local leader from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region of modern-day Pakistan, played a significant role in negotiating treaties and maintaining peace between the British colonial authorities and the local tribes.
While the surname Gherna has its roots in the Indian subcontinent, it has since spread to various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, the earliest and most significant historical references to this name can be traced back to the medieval and early modern periods in the regions now known as Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gherna
Among Census respondents with the surname Gherna, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.8%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Gherna 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 Gherna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White67.5% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino30.8% · 37
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gherna
Gherna 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,526 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-5 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,337 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,526 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 7,337 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 Gherna 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 | #134,712 | #142,049 | -5.4% |
| Count | 125 | 120 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gherna bearers went from 125 to 120 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 7,337 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #142,049.
FAQ
Gherna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gherna?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Gherna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Gherna?
Gherna ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Gherna. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Gherna.
Has Gherna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gherna went from 125 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Gherna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gherna, the largest self-reported group is White at 67.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.8%) and Black (0.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gherna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 67.5% (81 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gherna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (67.5%), Hispanic (30.8%), Black (0.8%). 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 Gherna (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 Gherna mean?
A Punjabi surname derived from the village of Gherna or Ghernaya. 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 Gherna (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 common is the surname Gherna?
Find out how many people have the surname Gherna on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.