2000
#5,243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.27
Rare Last name
Guerin
A surname of French origin derived from the Germanic name "Warin," meaning "guard" or "protector."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,781 Americans carry the last name Guerin. That puts it at #5,651 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,546 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guerin 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Guerin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.8K
1 in 50,546
Census rank
#5,651
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,913 bearers of the surname Guerin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5651st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guerin, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (6.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guerin
The surname Guerin originated in France during the medieval era. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Warin, which is composed of the elements "war" meaning guard and "rin" meaning battle. The name was originally spelled Warin or Guarin.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Guerin can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Warin" or "Warine". This was a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.
In the 12th century, the name Guerin appeared in various French records and manuscripts. One notable figure from this time was Guerin de Montaigu (c. 1150-1228), a French knight and vassal of King Philip II of France.
During the 13th century, the name Guerin was associated with several noble families in different regions of France. One prominent example was Guerin de Châtillon (c. 1210-1283), a French nobleman and military leader who participated in the Seventh Crusade.
In the 14th century, a branch of the Guerin family settled in the region of Normandy, where the name was sometimes spelled as "Guérin". One notable individual from this period was Jean Guerin (c. 1350-1415), a Norman knight who fought alongside Henry V of England during the Hundred Years' War.
The 16th century saw the rise of several notable figures with the surname Guerin. One example was Gilles Guerin (1501-1572), a French Protestant reformer and theologian who played a significant role in the French Reformation.
In the 17th century, the name Guerin was associated with several notable artists and writers. One such individual was François Guerin (1590-1670), a French painter and engraver known for his religious works. Another notable figure was Pierre Guerin (1629-1714), a French philosopher and theologian.
The 18th century saw the birth of several prominent Guerins, including Jean-Baptiste Guerin (1701-1770), a French engraver and printmaker, and Gilles Guerin (1720-1799), a French priest and mathematician.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guerin
Among Census respondents with the surname Guerin, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (6.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Guerin 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 Guerin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.8% · 4,837
- Black or African American7.0% · 413
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 387
- Two or more races3.3% · 194
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guerin
Guerin 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
#5,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,291
+176 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 2.13
Rank movement Down 282 places
2020
#5,651
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,913
-378 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Down 126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,243 | 6,115 | 2.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,525 | 6,291 | 2.13 | +176 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 282 places |
| 2020 | #5,651 | 5,913 | 1.98 | -378 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 126 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 Guerin 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 | #5,525 | #5,651 | -2.3% |
| Count | 6,291 | 5,913 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.13 | 1.98 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guerin bearers went from 6,291 to 5,913 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 126 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,525 to #5,651.
FAQ
Guerin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guerin?
Name Census estimates that about 6,781 living Americans carry the surname Guerin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,546 residents.
How common is Guerin?
Guerin ranks #5,651 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,913 people with the surname Guerin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,781), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Guerin.
Has Guerin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guerin went from 6,291 recorded bearers to 5,913. That is a decrease of 378 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,525 to #5,651.
What does the Census say about the background of Guerin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guerin, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (6.5%). 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 Guerin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (4,837 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guerin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.8%), Black (7.0%), Hispanic (6.5%). 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 Guerin (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 Guerin mean?
A surname of French origin derived from the Germanic name "Warin," meaning "guard" or "protector." 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 Guerin (1.98 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 Guerin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.