2000
#26,672
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 859
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.32
Rare Last name
Gourdine
A surname derived from the French word "gourde," meaning a type of gourd or pumpkin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,170 Americans carry the last name Gourdine. That puts it at #25,404 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 292,952 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gourdine 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
1.2K
1 in 292,952
Census rank
#25,404
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,020 bearers of the surname Gourdine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25404th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gourdine, the largest self-reported group is Black at 79.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Hispanic (6.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gourdine
The surname Gourdine has its origins in France, specifically in the region of Normandy, and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old French word "gourdin," meaning a thick stick or club, which was likely used as a weapon or tool in medieval times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gourdine can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a person named Willelmus Gourdin, who held lands in Hampshire, England.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the name Gourdine appeared in various records and manuscripts across Normandy and northern France. It was often associated with individuals involved in trades or professions related to woodworking, such as carpenters or lumberjacks, due to the connection with the word "gourdin."
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the name Gourdine was Jean Gourdine, a French military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War against the English. He was born around 1320 and played a significant role in several battles, including the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
Another historic figure was Étienne Gourdine, a French poet and philosopher who lived in the 16th century. He was born in Rouen, Normandy, in 1525 and is known for his works exploring themes of nature, love, and the human condition.
In the 17th century, the name Gourdine spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Germany, where variations such as Gourdin and Gurdine emerged. One notable individual from this era was Pieter Gourdin, a Dutch merchant and explorer who traveled extensively in the East Indies and documented his journeys in a series of letters and journals.
Moving forward to the 18th century, a prominent figure with the surname Gourdine was Marie-Geneviève Gourdine, a French artist and painter who gained recognition for her portraits and landscape paintings. She was born in Paris in 1720 and exhibited her works at the renowned Paris Salon during her lifetime.
As the name Gourdine continued to spread across Europe and beyond, it also found its way to the Americas, particularly in regions with strong French colonial influences, such as Louisiana and parts of Canada. In the 19th century, a notable individual was André Gourdine, a Cajun musician and songwriter from Louisiana, who was instrumental in preserving and promoting the Cajun cultural heritage through his music.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gourdine
Among Census respondents with the surname Gourdine, the largest self-reported group is Black at 79.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Hispanic (6.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gourdine 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 Gourdine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American79.5% · 811
- White7.0% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino6.9% · 70
- Two or more races5.6% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gourdine
Gourdine 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
#23,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,058
+199 bearers (+23.2%)
Per 100,000 0.36
Rank movement Up 2,806 places
2020
#25,404
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,020
-38 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Down 1,538 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #26,672 | 859 | 0.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,866 | 1,058 | 0.36 | +199 bearers (+23.2%) | Up 2,806 places |
| 2020 | #25,404 | 1,020 | 0.34 | -38 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 1,538 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 Gourdine 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 | #23,866 | #25,404 | -6.4% |
| Count | 1,058 | 1,020 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.36 | 0.34 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gourdine bearers went from 1,058 to 1,020 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 1,538 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,866 to #25,404.
FAQ
Gourdine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gourdine?
Name Census estimates that about 1,170 living Americans carry the surname Gourdine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 292,952 residents.
How common is Gourdine?
Gourdine ranks #25,404 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,020 people with the surname Gourdine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,170), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gourdine.
Has Gourdine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gourdine went from 1,058 recorded bearers to 1,020. That is a decrease of 38 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #23,866 to #25,404.
What does the Census say about the background of Gourdine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gourdine, the largest self-reported group is Black at 79.5%. The next largest groups are White (7.0%) and Hispanic (6.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gourdine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.5% (811 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gourdine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (79.5%), White (7.0%), Hispanic (6.9%). 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 Gourdine (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 Gourdine mean?
A surname derived from the French word "gourde," meaning a type of gourd or pumpkin. 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 Gourdine (0.34 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 are called Gourdine?
If you just want to know how common the surname Gourdine is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.