Find out how popular the last name Ginn is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Ginn.

Ginn, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Ginn surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ginn in America

Ginn is the 4396th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ginn surname appeared 8,088 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Ginn.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ginn to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Ginn

The surname Ginn has its origins in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "ginne," which means a trap or snare, suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who was a trapper or hunter.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Ginn surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex, dated 1195, where a person named Hugo Ginn is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which lists a John Ginn as a landowner.

In the 14th century, the Ginn surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Kent, Surrey, and Sussex, where it was often associated with certain place names. For example, the village of Ginnedge in Kent was once known as "Ginnys Egge," which may have been derived from the name of a person or family called Ginn.

One notable person with the Ginn surname was Sir Robert Ginn (c. 1460-1523), a wealthy merchant and alderman of the City of London. He served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1508 and was knighted by King Henry VIII.

In the 16th century, the Ginn surname can be found in various records, such as the Parish Registers of Stratfield Saye in Hampshire, where a William Ginn was recorded in 1593. Another example is John Ginn (c. 1570-1627), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Lewes in Sussex.

During the 17th century, the Ginn surname spread to other parts of England and even to the American colonies. One notable figure from this period was Thomas Ginn (1615-1672), a Puritan settler who emigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 and became a prominent landowner in Saugus, Massachusetts.

The 18th century saw the rise of several notable individuals with the Ginn surname, including John Ginn (1701-1768), a renowned English clockmaker from London, and Edward Ginn (1782-1857), an English clergyman and author who wrote extensively on theological subjects.

In the 19th century, the Ginn surname continued to be prominent in various fields. One notable figure was Edwin Ginn (1838-1914), an American educator and publisher who founded the textbook publishing company Ginn & Company, which later became part of Pearson Education.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ginn

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Ginn.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Ginn was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Ginn has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Ginn was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Ginn, please contact us.

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