2000
#12,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,261
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Guernsey
From the Channel Island of Guernsey, indicating one's origin or place of residence.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,571 Americans carry the last name Guernsey. That puts it at #13,078 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,316 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guernsey 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
2.6K
1 in 133,316
Census rank
#13,078
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,242 bearers of the surname Guernsey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13078th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guernsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guernsey
The surname Guernsey has its origins in the island of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands located off the coast of Normandy, France. The name is derived from the Old Norse words "grøn ey," meaning "green island." This reflects the lush, verdant landscape of the island, which has been inhabited since prehistoric times.
The Guernsey surname first appears in historical records in the 11th century, following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Many residents of Guernsey accompanied William the Conqueror and settled in various parts of England, establishing their family names in the process.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Guernsey surname was Sir John Guernsey, who lived in the 13th century and served as a knight under King Edward I. Another notable figure was William Guernsey, born in 1490, who was a merchant and landowner in the county of Essex.
In the 16th century, the Guernsey name appears in the Visitation of Huntingdonshire, a record of prominent families in the county. This suggests that the Guernsey family had established themselves as part of the gentry class by that time.
Throughout history, the Guernsey surname has been associated with various place names derived from the island, such as Guernsey County, Ohio, and Guernsey, Wyoming. The surname has also been spelled in various ways, including Guernesey, Gernesey, and Gernsey.
Some notable individuals with the Guernsey surname include:
1. Sir Benjamin Guernsey (1622-1691), an English politician and member of Parliament.
2. Egerton Guernsey (1823-1903), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the New York State Assembly.
3. Jessie Guernsey (1880-1962), an American artist and illustrator known for her work in children's literature.
4. Alfred H. Guernsey (1858-1938), an American businessman and banker who co-founded the New York Clearing House Association.
5. Lucy Ellen Guernsey (1826-1904), an American educator and women's rights activist who helped establish the Kentucky Female Orphan School.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who have borne the Guernsey surname, which has a rich legacy rooted in the island from which it originated.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guernsey
Among Census respondents with the surname Guernsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Guernsey 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 Guernsey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 2,054
- Two or more races3.9% · 88
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guernsey
Guernsey 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
#13,376
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,277
+16 bearers (+0.7%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 810 places
2020
#13,078
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,242
-35 bearers (-1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Up 298 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,566 | 2,261 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,376 | 2,277 | 0.77 | +16 bearers (+0.7%) | Down 810 places |
| 2020 | #13,078 | 2,242 | 0.75 | -35 bearers (-1.5%) | Up 298 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 Guernsey 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 | #13,376 | #13,078 | 2.2% |
| Count | 2,277 | 2,242 | -1.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.77 | 0.75 | -2.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guernsey bearers went from 2,277 to 2,242 (-1.5% change). The surname moved up 298 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,376 to #13,078.
FAQ
Guernsey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guernsey?
Name Census estimates that about 2,571 living Americans carry the surname Guernsey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,316 residents.
How common is Guernsey?
Guernsey ranks #13,078 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,242 people with the surname Guernsey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,571), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Guernsey.
Has Guernsey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guernsey went from 2,277 recorded bearers to 2,242. That is a decrease of 35 (-1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,376 to #13,078.
What does the Census say about the background of Guernsey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guernsey, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Guernsey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (2,054 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guernsey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Guernsey (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 Guernsey mean?
From the Channel Island of Guernsey, indicating one's origin or place of residence. 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 Guernsey (0.75 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 Guernsey?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.