2000
#4,134
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,928
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.94
Rare Last name
Ginn
An English surname derived from a shortened form of the given name Beginald, meaning "descendant of Ginn."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,704 Americans carry the last name Ginn. That puts it at #4,540 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 39,379 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ginn 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Ginn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.7K
1 in 39,379
Census rank
#4,540
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,590 bearers of the surname Ginn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4540th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ginn, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ginn
Among Census respondents with the surname Ginn, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ginn 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 Ginn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.7% · 6,052
- Black or African American10.6% · 801
- Two or more races4.2% · 316
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 214
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 154
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 53
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ginn
Ginn 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
#4,396
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,088
+160 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 2.74
Rank movement Down 262 places
2020
#4,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,590
-498 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 2.54
Rank movement Down 144 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,134 | 7,928 | 2.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,396 | 8,088 | 2.74 | +160 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 262 places |
| 2020 | #4,540 | 7,590 | 2.54 | -498 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 144 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 Ginn 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 | #4,396 | #4,540 | -3.3% |
| Count | 8,088 | 7,590 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.74 | 2.54 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ginn bearers went from 8,088 to 7,590 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 144 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,396 to #4,540.
FAQ
Ginn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ginn?
Name Census estimates that about 8,704 living Americans carry the surname Ginn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 39,379 residents.
How common is Ginn?
Ginn ranks #4,540 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.54 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,590 people with the surname Ginn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,704), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.54 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Ginn.
Has Ginn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ginn went from 8,088 recorded bearers to 7,590. That is a decrease of 498 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,396 to #4,540.
What does the Census say about the background of Ginn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ginn, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.7%. The next largest groups are Black (10.6%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Ginn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.7% (6,052 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ginn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.7%), Black (10.6%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Ginn (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 Ginn mean?
An English surname derived from a shortened form of the given name Beginald, meaning "descendant of Ginn." 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 Ginn (2.54 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 Americans have the surname Ginn?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.