2000
#2,308
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,351
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.32
Uncommon Last name
Guillory
A French occupational surname for a maker or seller of cloaks and outerwear.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,868 Americans carry the last name Guillory. That puts it at #2,414 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 20,320 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guillory 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
17K
1 in 20,320
Census rank
#2,414
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,710 bearers of the surname Guillory in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2414th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guillory, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.9%. The next largest groups are Black (41.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guillory
The surname Guillory is believed to have originated in France, specifically in the regions of Poitou and Saintonge. It is derived from the Old French name "Guillery" or "Guilleri," which is thought to have roots in the Germanic personal name "Wilhari" or "Wilheri."
The earliest recorded instances of the name Guillory can be traced back to the 12th century in various medieval documents and records from the Poitou-Charentes region of western France. One notable early mention is in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Fontaine-le-Comte, a 13th-century manuscript that references a "Petrus de Guilleria" in a land transaction.
Over time, the name evolved to include variations such as "Guillerie," "Guilleri," "Guillory," and "Guilleri." These different spellings were often used interchangeably, reflecting the regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during that era.
While the name Guillory does not appear in renowned historical records like the Domesday Book, it has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest documented bearers of the name was Jean Guillory, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War during the 14th century.
Another prominent figure was Louis Guillory (1678-1753), a French explorer and cartographer who was instrumental in mapping the territory of Louisiana in the early 18th century. He is credited with establishing several settlements along the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
In the realm of literature, Pierre-Ange Guillory (1797-1876) was a French poet and playwright who gained recognition for his works in the Romantic movement. His poetry collections, such as "Les Fleurs d'Automne" (The Autumn Flowers), were widely celebrated during his lifetime.
The name Guillory has also been linked to several place names in France, particularly in the Poitou-Charentes region. For example, the village of Guillerie, located in the department of Charente-Maritime, is believed to have derived its name from the surname itself.
Other notable individuals with the surname Guillory include:
1. Jacques Guillory (1602-1679), a French merchant and landowner in the Saintonge region.
2. Marie-Thérèse Guillory (1755-1832), a French noblewoman and philanthropist who established several charitable institutions in Paris.
3. Charles Guillory (1820-1897), a French-American soldier who fought in the American Civil War and later became a prominent businessman in New Orleans.
4. Émile Guillory (1865-1938), a French artist known for his landscape paintings and portraiture.
5. Jeanne Guillory (1891-1972), a French educator and women's rights activist who campaigned for educational reforms in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guillory
Among Census respondents with the surname Guillory, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.9%. The next largest groups are Black (41.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Guillory 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 Guillory surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White46.9% · 6,905
- Black or African American41.8% · 6,153
- Two or more races5.4% · 792
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 715
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 46
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guillory
Guillory 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
#2,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,161
+810 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 5.14
Rank movement Down 83 places
2020
#2,414
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,710
-451 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 4.92
Rank movement Down 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,308 | 14,351 | 5.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,391 | 15,161 | 5.14 | +810 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 83 places |
| 2020 | #2,414 | 14,710 | 4.92 | -451 bearers (-3.0%) | Down 23 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 Guillory 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 | #2,391 | #2,414 | -1.0% |
| Count | 15,161 | 14,710 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 5.14 | 4.92 | -4.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guillory bearers went from 15,161 to 14,710 (-3.0% change). The surname moved down 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,391 to #2,414.
FAQ
Guillory surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guillory?
Name Census estimates that about 16,868 living Americans carry the surname Guillory. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 20,320 residents.
How common is Guillory?
Guillory ranks #2,414 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,710 people with the surname Guillory. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,868), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Guillory.
Has Guillory become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guillory went from 15,161 recorded bearers to 14,710. That is a decrease of 451 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,391 to #2,414.
What does the Census say about the background of Guillory?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guillory, the largest self-reported group is White at 46.9%. The next largest groups are Black (41.8%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Guillory in the 2020 Census, accounting for 46.9% (6,905 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guillory appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (46.9%), Black (41.8%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Guillory (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 Guillory mean?
A French occupational surname for a maker or seller of cloaks and outerwear. 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 Guillory (4.92 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 Guillory?
Find out how many people are called Guillory on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.