2000
#11,295
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,567
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.95
Rare Last name
Gingras
Derived from the Old French word "gingras," meaning a person with red hair or a reddish complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,853 Americans carry the last name Gingras. That puts it at #11,991 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,138 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gingras 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
2.9K
1 in 120,138
Census rank
#11,991
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,488 bearers of the surname Gingras in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11991st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gingras, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gingras
The surname Gingras has its origins in France, specifically in the region of Normandy. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century. The name is derived from the Old French word "gingre," which means "ginger-colored" or "reddish-brown."
One of the earliest known references to the Gingras name can be found in the Cartulaire de Saint-Père de Chartres, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the 11th and 12th centuries. This manuscript mentions a person named "Robertus Gingras" who lived in the region of Chartres, France.
The name Gingras is also present in the famous Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This record includes entries for individuals with the surname Gingras, indicating that the name had already spread to England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, there are records of a noble family named Gingras residing in the village of Gingras, located in the department of Eure-et-Loir, France. This village likely took its name from the family, as it was common practice at the time for prominent landowners to have places named after them.
One notable figure bearing the Gingras surname was Jean Gingras (1616-1690), a French merchant and explorer who established trade routes in the Great Lakes region of North America. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to explore and document the area that is now the state of Michigan.
Another prominent individual was Marie-Jeanne Gingras (1720-1788), a French Canadian settler who played a significant role in the founding of the city of Detroit, Michigan. She was one of the earliest European settlers in the area and is celebrated for her contributions to the development of the region.
In the 19th century, Louis-Honoré Gingras (1818-1891) was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec. He was instrumental in the establishment of several educational institutions in the province.
Émile Gingras (1853-1928) was a renowned Canadian sculptor and painter, known for his works depicting scenes from Quebec's rural life and landscapes. His artistic legacy has been celebrated through numerous exhibitions and retrospectives.
Finally, Gabrielle Gingras (1906-1988) was a French Canadian actress and producer who had a prolific career in both theater and film. She is regarded as one of the pioneers of Quebec's modern theater movement and was instrumental in promoting French-Canadian culture through her performances and productions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gingras
Among Census respondents with the surname Gingras, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gingras 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 Gingras surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 2,258
- Two or more races4.0% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 28
- Black or African American0.7% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gingras
Gingras 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
#11,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,642
+75 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 551 places
2020
#11,991
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,488
-154 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 145 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,295 | 2,567 | 0.95 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,846 | 2,642 | 0.90 | +75 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 551 places |
| 2020 | #11,991 | 2,488 | 0.83 | -154 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 145 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 Gingras 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 | #11,846 | #11,991 | -1.2% |
| Count | 2,642 | 2,488 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.83 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gingras bearers went from 2,642 to 2,488 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 145 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,846 to #11,991.
FAQ
Gingras surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gingras?
Name Census estimates that about 2,853 living Americans carry the surname Gingras. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,138 residents.
How common is Gingras?
Gingras ranks #11,991 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,488 people with the surname Gingras. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,853), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gingras.
Has Gingras become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gingras went from 2,642 recorded bearers to 2,488. That is a decrease of 154 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,846 to #11,991.
What does the Census say about the background of Gingras?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gingras, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Gingras in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (2,258 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gingras appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Gingras (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 Gingras mean?
Derived from the Old French word "gingras," meaning a person with red hair or a reddish complexion. 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 Gingras (0.83 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 Gingras?
Find out how many people have the surname Gingras on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.