2000
#39,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 530
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.20
Rare Last name
Gueye
A surname of West African Wolof origin, meaning "griot" or "storyteller".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,103 Americans carry the last name Gueye. That puts it at #15,395 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,984 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gueye 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
2.1K
1 in 162,984
Census rank
#15,395
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,834 bearers of the surname Gueye in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15395th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gueye, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and White (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gueye
The surname Gueye has its origins in Senegal, a country located in West Africa. It is believed to have emerged during the 15th century, when the Wolof people, an ethnic group native to Senegal, began adopting surnames.
The name Gueye is derived from the Wolof word "guy," which means "to follow" or "to accompany." It was likely given to individuals who served as guides or companions to important figures or travelers in the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gueye can be found in the writings of Portuguese explorer Alvise Cadamosto, who visited the area in the mid-15th century. He mentioned a local leader named Gueye Ndiaye, suggesting that the name was already in use at that time.
In the 18th century, the Gueye family played a significant role in the Kingdom of Sine, a pre-colonial state in present-day Senegal. Notably, Biram Gueye Ndiogou Rassine reigned as the Buur Sine (King of Sine) from 1763 to 1781.
As Senegal transitioned into the colonial era, the Gueye surname continued to hold prominence. One notable figure was Blaise Diagne, a French-Senegalese politician and the first African to be elected to the French Chamber of Deputies. Born in 1872, Diagne played a crucial role in advocating for the rights of Africans in French colonies.
Another prominent individual with the Gueye surname was Léopold Sédar Senghor, a Senegalese poet, writer, and statesman who served as the first President of Senegal from 1960 to 1980. He was a key figure in the Negritude movement, which celebrated African culture and identity.
In the realm of sports, Sadio Mané, born in 1992, is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays for Bayern Munich and the Senegalese national team. He is widely regarded as one of the best African players of his generation.
While the Gueye surname is most prevalent in Senegal, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange. Variations of the spelling, such as Gaye or Geye, can be found in different regions, reflecting the diverse linguistic influences on the name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gueye
Among Census respondents with the surname Gueye, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and White (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Gueye 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 Gueye surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American92.1% · 1,690
- Two or more races3.2% · 59
- White3.1% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gueye
Gueye 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
#20,750
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,274
+744 bearers (+140.4%)
Per 100,000 0.43
Rank movement Up 18,361 places
2020
#15,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,834
+560 bearers (+44.0%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Up 5,355 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #39,111 | 530 | 0.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #20,750 | 1,274 | 0.43 | +744 bearers (+140.4%) | Up 18,361 places |
| 2020 | #15,395 | 1,834 | 0.61 | +560 bearers (+44.0%) | Up 5,355 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 Gueye 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 | #20,750 | #15,395 | 25.8% |
| Count | 1,274 | 1,834 | 44.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.43 | 0.61 | 42.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gueye bearers went from 1,274 to 1,834 (+44.0% change). The surname moved up 5,355 positions in the national ranking, going from #20,750 to #15,395.
FAQ
Gueye surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gueye?
Name Census estimates that about 2,103 living Americans carry the surname Gueye. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,984 residents.
How common is Gueye?
Gueye ranks #15,395 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,834 people with the surname Gueye. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,103), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Gueye.
Has Gueye become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gueye went from 1,274 recorded bearers to 1,834. That is an increase of 560 (+44.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #20,750 to #15,395.
What does the Census say about the background of Gueye?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gueye, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and White (3.1%). 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 Gueye in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (1,690 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gueye appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.2%), White (3.1%). 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 Gueye (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 Gueye mean?
A surname of West African Wolof origin, meaning "griot" or "storyteller". 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 Gueye (0.61 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 common is the surname Gueye?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Gueye at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.