2000
#12,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,180
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Guerrier
A French occupational surname denoting a warrior or soldier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,494 Americans carry the last name Guerrier. That puts it at #8,096 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 76,269 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guerrier 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 Guerrier with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 76,269
Census rank
#8,096
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,919 bearers of the surname Guerrier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8096th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guerrier, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guerrier
The surname Guerrier has its origins in France, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "guerrier," which means "warrior" or "soldier." This name was likely given to someone who was a skilled fighter or had a reputation for bravery on the battlefield.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Guerrier can be found in historical documents from the 12th and 13th centuries, particularly in regions such as Normandy and Île-de-France. One notable example is a mention of a knight named Renaud Guerrier in the Chronique de Robert de Torigni, a 12th-century chronicle written by a Norman monk.
In the 14th century, the name Guerrier appeared in various records, including the Livre des métiers d'Étienne Boileau, a compilation of regulations for trades and professions in Paris. This suggests that the name had spread beyond the nobility and was also adopted by commoners engaged in various occupations.
During the Renaissance period, the surname Guerrier gained prominence with the rise of several notable figures. One such individual was Jacques Guerrier (1515-1585), a French Protestant theologian and author who played a significant role in the French Reformation. Another notable bearer of the name was Jean Guerrier (1578-1642), a French Jesuit priest and theologian known for his writings on moral theology.
In the 17th century, the name Guerrier was associated with several military leaders, reflecting the martial connotations of the name. One example is François de Guerrier (1625-1704), a French military engineer who served under Louis XIV and was involved in the construction of fortifications in various parts of France.
The surname Guerrier also has connections to notable places in France. For instance, the village of Guerrier in the department of Aveyron is believed to have derived its name from the Guerrier family, who were landowners in the region during the Middle Ages.
Other notable individuals with the surname Guerrier throughout history include Henri Guerrier (1795-1873), a French painter and lithographer; Édouard Guerrier (1849-1936), a French architect and urban planner; and Louise Guerrier (1862-1942), a French feminist and activist who campaigned for women's rights and suffrage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guerrier
Among Census respondents with the surname Guerrier, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Guerrier 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 Guerrier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American88.5% · 3,469
- White4.7% · 183
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 134
- Two or more races3.1% · 120
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guerrier
Guerrier 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
#9,628
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,372
+1,192 bearers (+54.7%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Up 3,297 places
2020
#8,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,919
+547 bearers (+16.2%)
Per 100,000 1.31
Rank movement Up 1,532 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,925 | 2,180 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,628 | 3,372 | 1.14 | +1,192 bearers (+54.7%) | Up 3,297 places |
| 2020 | #8,096 | 3,919 | 1.31 | +547 bearers (+16.2%) | Up 1,532 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 Guerrier 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 | #9,628 | #8,096 | 15.9% |
| Count | 3,372 | 3,919 | 16.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.14 | 1.31 | 15.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guerrier bearers went from 3,372 to 3,919 (+16.2% change). The surname moved up 1,532 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,628 to #8,096.
FAQ
Guerrier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guerrier?
Name Census estimates that about 4,494 living Americans carry the surname Guerrier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 76,269 residents.
How common is Guerrier?
Guerrier ranks #8,096 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.31 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 3,919 people with the surname Guerrier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,494), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.31 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 Guerrier.
Has Guerrier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guerrier went from 3,372 recorded bearers to 3,919. That is an increase of 547 (+16.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,628 to #8,096.
What does the Census say about the background of Guerrier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guerrier, the largest self-reported group is Black at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Guerrier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (3,469 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guerrier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (88.5%), White (4.7%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Guerrier (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 Guerrier mean?
A French occupational surname denoting a warrior or soldier. 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 Guerrier (1.31 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 have the last name Guerrier?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Guerrier on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.