2000
#7,420
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.53
Rare Last name
Gordy
A nickname-derived surname referring to someone with a stocky build or large, rounded stomach.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,198 Americans carry the last name Gordy. That puts it at #8,611 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,647 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gordy 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
4.2K
1 in 81,647
Census rank
#8,611
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,661 bearers of the surname Gordy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8611th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gordy, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gordy
The surname Gordy has its origins in the Old English words "gor" and "die", which together mean "muddy valley". This suggests that the name was originally a descriptive term used to identify people who lived in a muddy valley or lowland area.
The earliest known recorded instances of the surname Gordy date back to the 12th century in England. It is believed to have originated in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk, where the name was commonly found in medieval records and documents.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Gordy was Robert de Gourdie, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1199. These rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer during the reign of King Richard I.
Another early record of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which were census-like records compiled during the reign of King Edward I. These rolls mention a John de Gourdie from the county of Norfolk.
Over the centuries, the surname Gordy has undergone various spelling variations, including Gourdie, Gourdy, Gourday, and Gourdie. These variations were common due to inconsistent spelling practices and regional dialects.
One notable bearer of the surname Gordy was John Gourdie (c. 1500 - c. 1570), who was a Scottish author and playwright from Dundee. He is credited with writing several plays, including "The Blyth Poverteye" and "The Siege of Leith".
Another individual of note was James Gourdie (1777 - 1858), a Scottish minister and author from Fife. He wrote several religious works, including "An Exposition of the Parables and Sayings of Christ".
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Gordy was William Gordy, who was born in Maryland in 1713. He was a planter and landowner in Somerset County.
Perhaps the most famous bearer of the surname Gordy was Berry Gordy Jr. (1929 - ), the American songwriter, record producer, and entrepreneur who founded the Motown Record Corporation in 1959. He was a key figure in the development of the Motown Sound and helped launch the careers of numerous legendary artists.
Another notable individual was Sib Gordy (1892 - 1957), an American baseball player who played for the Boston Red Sox and the Washington Senators in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gordy
Among Census respondents with the surname Gordy, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Gordy 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 Gordy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.6% · 2,769
- Black or African American14.3% · 523
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 148
- Two or more races4.0% · 147
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gordy
Gordy 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
#7,838
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,225
+85 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 418 places
2020
#8,611
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,661
-564 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 773 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,420 | 4,140 | 1.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,838 | 4,225 | 1.43 | +85 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 418 places |
| 2020 | #8,611 | 3,661 | 1.22 | -564 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 773 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 Gordy 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 | #7,838 | #8,611 | -9.9% |
| Count | 4,225 | 3,661 | -13.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.43 | 1.22 | -14.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gordy bearers went from 4,225 to 3,661 (-13.3% change). The surname moved down 773 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,838 to #8,611.
FAQ
Gordy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gordy?
Name Census estimates that about 4,198 living Americans carry the surname Gordy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,647 residents.
How common is Gordy?
Gordy ranks #8,611 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 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 3,661 people with the surname Gordy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,198), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 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 Gordy.
Has Gordy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gordy went from 4,225 recorded bearers to 3,661. That is a decrease of 564 (-13.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,838 to #8,611.
What does the Census say about the background of Gordy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gordy, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.6%. The next largest groups are Black (14.3%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Gordy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.6% (2,769 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gordy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.6%), Black (14.3%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Gordy (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 Gordy mean?
A nickname-derived surname referring to someone with a stocky build or large, rounded stomach. 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 Gordy (1.22 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 last name Gordy?
Want to know how many people have the last name Gordy? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.