2000
#21,113
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,159
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.43
Rare Last name
Girgis
An Arabic surname meaning "from Georgia", referring to an ancestor from the region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,109 Americans carry the last name Girgis. That puts it at #11,165 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,246 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Girgis 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 Girgis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 110,246
Census rank
#11,165
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,711 bearers of the surname Girgis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11165th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Girgis, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Girgis
The surname "GIRGIS" is of Egyptian origin, with roots tracing back to the ancient Coptic language spoken by Egyptian Christians. It is believed to derive from the Coptic name "Georgios," which itself is derived from the Greek name "Georgios," meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker."
In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as "Girgis" or "Girguis" in various Coptic manuscripts and church records from the 5th to 10th centuries AD. These early mentions often referred to Coptic Christian monks, scribes, or other religious figures who bore the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the "Life of St. Samuel the Confessor," a 7th-century Coptic hagiography that mentions a monk named "Girgis" who lived in the Nitrian Desert near Alexandria.
The name also appears in various medieval Arabic sources, where it is often rendered as "Jirjis" or "Jurjus." This Arabic spelling likely reflects the pronunciation of the name by Arabic-speaking Egyptians during the Islamic conquest of Egypt in the 7th century AD.
Notable historical figures with the surname "GIRGIS" include:
1. Girgis al-Makki (11th century), a Coptic scholar and theologian who wrote extensively on Christian theology and philosophy.
2. Girgis ibn al-'Amid (12th century), a Coptic physician and author of medical treatises in Arabic.
3. Girgis ibn Tughj al-Ikhshidi (10th century), a Coptic governor and military commander under the Ikhshidid dynasty in Egypt.
4. Girgis al-Saidawi (14th century), a Coptic scribe and calligrapher known for his beautiful manuscripts.
5. Girgis al-Muqaffa' (8th century), a Coptic scholar and translator who played a significant role in the transmission of Persian literature to the Arabic world.
While the name "GIRGIS" has maintained its presence within the Coptic Christian community in Egypt, it has also spread to other parts of the Middle East and the Coptic diaspora around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Girgis
Among Census respondents with the surname Girgis, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Girgis 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 Girgis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 2,482
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 92
- Two or more races2.8% · 76
- Black or African American1.1% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Girgis
Girgis 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
#16,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,797
+638 bearers (+55.0%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 5,005 places
2020
#11,165
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,711
+914 bearers (+50.9%)
Per 100,000 0.91
Rank movement Up 4,943 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,113 | 1,159 | 0.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,108 | 1,797 | 0.61 | +638 bearers (+55.0%) | Up 5,005 places |
| 2020 | #11,165 | 2,711 | 0.91 | +914 bearers (+50.9%) | Up 4,943 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 Girgis 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 | #16,108 | #11,165 | 30.7% |
| Count | 1,797 | 2,711 | 50.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.61 | 0.91 | 48.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Girgis bearers went from 1,797 to 2,711 (+50.9% change). The surname moved up 4,943 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,108 to #11,165.
FAQ
Girgis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Girgis?
Name Census estimates that about 3,109 living Americans carry the surname Girgis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,246 residents.
How common is Girgis?
Girgis ranks #11,165 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.91 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 2,711 people with the surname Girgis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,109), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.91 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 Girgis.
Has Girgis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Girgis went from 1,797 recorded bearers to 2,711. That is an increase of 914 (+50.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,108 to #11,165.
What does the Census say about the background of Girgis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Girgis, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Girgis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (2,482 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Girgis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Girgis (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 Girgis mean?
An Arabic surname meaning "from Georgia", referring to an ancestor from the region. 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 Girgis (0.91 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 Girgis?
If you just want to know how many people are called Girgis, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.