2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gouvin
An occupational surname meaning "one who steered or navigated a ship."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Gouvin. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gouvin 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Gouvin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gouvin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gouvin
The surname Gouvin has its origins in France, where it first appeared in the 16th century. It is derived from the Old French words "gou" and "vin," which respectively mean "throat" and "wine," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who worked in the wine trade or was known for their love of wine.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gouvin can be found in the parish records of the village of Champagne-sur-Oise, located in the Picardy region of northern France. The records show a Jean Gouvin, born in 1587, who worked as a vintner (wine merchant) in the village.
The Gouvin name also appeared in various other regions of France during the 16th and 17th centuries, including Normandy and Brittany. In some areas, the name was spelled slightly differently, such as "Gouvin" or "Gouven," reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
One notable figure with the surname Gouvin was Pierre Gouvin, a French playwright and poet who lived from 1620 to 1684. He is best known for his satirical plays that criticized the upper classes and the clergy of his time.
Another prominent individual with the Gouvin name was Jean-Baptiste Gouvin, a French military engineer who lived from 1701 to 1767. He was responsible for designing and overseeing the construction of several fortifications and military installations throughout France and its colonies.
In the 18th century, the Gouvin family established themselves in the wine-producing region of Burgundy. One member of this family, Jacques Gouvin (1745-1821), became a renowned winemaker and is credited with developing several innovative techniques for growing and producing high-quality wines.
As the Gouvin name spread throughout France and beyond, it also found its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. For example, in the early 19th century, a family named Gouvin settled in the French-speaking regions of Quebec, Canada, where their descendants continue to live today.
Another notable figure with the Gouvin surname was Marie-Françoise Gouvin (1804-1876), a French educator and advocate for women's rights. She founded several schools for girls and worked tirelessly to promote educational opportunities for women in a time when such efforts were rare.
While the Gouvin name may not be as widely known as some other French surnames, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and reflects the cultural and economic influences of various regions of France, particularly those associated with the wine industry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gouvin
Among Census respondents with the surname Gouvin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gouvin 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 Gouvin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 98
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gouvin
Gouvin appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-11 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 9,449 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -11 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 9,449 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 Gouvin 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 | #144,141 | #153,590 | -6.6% |
| Count | 115 | 104 | -9.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gouvin bearers went from 115 to 104 (-9.6% change). The surname moved down 9,449 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #153,590.
FAQ
Gouvin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gouvin?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Gouvin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Gouvin?
Gouvin ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Gouvin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Gouvin.
Has Gouvin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gouvin went from 115 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Gouvin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gouvin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Black (1.9%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Gouvin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gouvin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Black (1.9%). 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 Gouvin (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 Gouvin mean?
An occupational surname meaning "one who steered or navigated a ship." 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 Gouvin (0.03 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 share the surname Gouvin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.