2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Gouvion
An archaic French surname derived from the word "gouvion" meaning the shaft of a mill wheel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Gouvion. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gouvion 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Gouvion in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gouvion, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gouvion
The surname GOUVION originated in France, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "gouvion," which referred to a type of small fish commonly found in rivers and streams. The name likely originated as a nickname or occupational name for someone who caught or sold these fish.
In the 13th century, records show a family bearing the name GOUVION living in the region of Champagne, in northeastern France. This early form of the name was often spelled as "Gouvyon" or "Gouveion." Over time, the spelling evolved to its modern form of GOUVION.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the GOUVION name can be found in the records of the Abbey of Clairvaux, a Cistercian monastery founded in 1115. These records, dating back to the late 12th century, reference a certain "Hugues Gouvion" who was a landowner in the vicinity of the abbey.
In the 15th century, the GOUVION family established themselves as minor nobility in the region of Champagne. Records from this period show several members of the family holding positions of influence, such as Jacques GOUVION, who served as a magistrate in the town of Troyes in the late 1400s.
One notable figure bearing the GOUVION name was Jean-Baptiste GOUVION (1747-1792), a French military officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War. He served as a major general in the Continental Army and played a crucial role in several battles, including the Siege of Yorktown.
Another prominent individual was Jean-Baptiste Vaquette de GOUVION (1688-1747), a French nobleman and military engineer. He designed several fortifications in the Netherlands and was renowned for his expertise in military architecture.
In the 19th century, Louis Jean-Baptiste GOUVION (1810-1876) was a French politician and writer who served as a member of the National Assembly and authored several works on history and politics.
Emilie GOUVION (1880-1956) was a French painter and sculptor known for her avant-garde artistic style and her association with the Cubist movement. Her works are displayed in museums around the world.
Jacques GOUVION (1919-1995) was a French journalist and author who covered several major conflicts, including World War II and the Vietnam War. He wrote numerous books and articles documenting his experiences as a war correspondent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gouvion
Among Census respondents with the surname Gouvion, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gouvion 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 Gouvion surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.0% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 6
- Two or more races4.6% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gouvion
Gouvion 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
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 810 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 810 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 Gouvion 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 | #149,395 | #150,205 | -0.5% |
| Count | 110 | 109 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gouvion bearers went from 110 to 109 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 810 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #150,205.
FAQ
Gouvion surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gouvion?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Gouvion. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Gouvion?
Gouvion ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 109 people with the surname Gouvion. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Gouvion.
Has Gouvion become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gouvion went from 110 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Gouvion?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gouvion, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.5%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Gouvion in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.0% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gouvion appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.0%), Hispanic (5.5%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Gouvion (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 Gouvion mean?
An archaic French surname derived from the word "gouvion" meaning the shaft of a mill wheel. 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 Gouvion (0.04 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 Gouvion?
Want to know how many people have the last name Gouvion? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.