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

Gourd, 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 Gourd surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gourd in America

Gourd is the 42790th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gourd surname appeared 506 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gourd.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gourd 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 Gourd

The surname GOURD is believed to have originated in England, with records dating back to the 16th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "gourd," which referred to the fruit of a plant belonging to the cucumber family. It is thought to have been used as a surname for someone who lived near or worked with gourds, perhaps a farmer or a merchant dealing in these fruits.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Woodbridge, Suffolk, where a John Gourd was mentioned in 1587. Another early reference is found in the Hearth Tax records of 1674, which list a Thomas Gourd as a resident of the parish of St. Giles in Buckinghamshire.

In the 17th century, the GOURD surname appeared in various parts of England, including Lincolnshire, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire. The Gloucestershire Protestation Returns of 1641/42 include the names of William Gourd and John Gourd, both from the parish of Horsley.

The name GOURD may also have been derived from certain place names, such as Gourd Hill in Somerset or Gourd Farm in Kent. These locations could have influenced the adoption of the surname by individuals living or working in those areas.

Notable individuals with the surname GOURD throughout history include:

1. John Gourd (c. 1550 - 1633), an English merchant and landowner from Ipswich, Suffolk.
2. William Gourd (1620 - 1698), a farmer and member of the Puritan community in Massachusetts Bay Colony.
3. Elizabeth Gourd (1756 - 1842), a British author and poet from Gloucestershire.
4. Thomas Gourd (1789 - 1867), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Maldon, Essex.
5. James Gourd (1835 - 1912), a Scottish architect known for designing several notable buildings in Glasgow.

While the GOURD surname may not be among the most common in modern times, its history can be traced back several centuries, with roots in various regions of England and connections to agriculture, trade, and even literary and political circles.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gourd

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

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 Gourd 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 Gourd 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 Gourd was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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