2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gianna
Italian surname derived from the biblical name Johanna, meaning "God is gracious".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Gianna. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gianna 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Gianna in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gianna, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gianna
The surname Gianna has its origins in Italy, specifically in the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Italian word "Gianni," which is a diminutive form of the name Giovanni, meaning "God is gracious."
The earliest known references to the name Gianna can be found in ancient Italian records and manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is the mention of a Gianna Boccaccio in the Decameron, a collection of novellas written by the renowned Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375).
In the 15th century, the surname Gianna appeared in various historical records, including the tax registers of Florence. During this period, the name was often associated with prominent families and individuals, such as the Gianna di Arezzo (1370-1450), a celebrated painter and architect from the city of Arezzo.
Throughout the centuries, the surname Gianna has undergone various spelling variations, including Gianni, Giana, and Giannini. These variations can be attributed to regional dialects and the evolution of the Italian language over time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Gianna was Giovanni Gianna (1480-1548), a renowned Italian architect and sculptor who worked extensively in the city of Mantua. His most notable works include the Church of Sant'Andrea and the Palazzo Ducale.
Another notable figure was Vittoria Gianna (1550-1620), a Venetian writer and poet who gained recognition for her poetic works and her contributions to the literary salons of her time.
In the 18th century, the Gianna family produced several influential figures, including Carlo Gianna (1720-1789), a prominent mathematician and astronomer from Milan, and Maria Gianna (1745-1815), a celebrated opera singer who performed in the prestigious theaters of Italy and across Europe.
The 19th century saw the rise of Giuseppe Gianna (1810-1879), an Italian politician and statesman who played a pivotal role in the Risorgimento, the movement that led to the unification of Italy.
Throughout its rich history, the surname Gianna has been associated with various place names and locations across Italy, such as the town of Gianna in the province of Piacenza, and the village of Giannetta in the region of Calabria.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gianna
Among Census respondents with the surname Gianna, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Gianna 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 Gianna surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.3% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 8
- Two or more races4.4% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 4
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gianna
Gianna 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
+24 bearers (+22.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 12,994 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-17 bearers (-13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,670 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | +24 bearers (+22.4%) | Up 12,994 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.0%) | Down 16,670 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 Gianna 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 | #129,825 | #146,495 | -12.8% |
| Count | 131 | 114 | -13.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gianna bearers went from 131 to 114 (-13.0% change). The surname moved down 16,670 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #146,495.
FAQ
Gianna surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gianna?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Gianna. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Gianna?
Gianna ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Gianna. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Gianna.
Has Gianna become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gianna went from 131 recorded bearers to 114. That is a decrease of 17 (-13.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Gianna?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gianna, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Gianna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.3% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gianna appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.3%), Hispanic (7.0%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Gianna (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 Gianna mean?
Italian surname derived from the biblical name Johanna, meaning "God is gracious". 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 Gianna (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 Gianna?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.