2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Guinness
An English surname originating as a nickname from the Gaelic word meaning "brown-haired".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 181 Americans carry the last name Guinness. That puts it at #116,774 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,893,670 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Guinness 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 Guinness with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
181
1 in 1,893,670
Census rank
#116,774
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
158
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 158 bearers of the surname Guinness in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 116774th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Guinness, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Guinness
The surname Guinness originated in Ireland during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old Norman French word "Engaine," meaning a wedge or ingot, which was likely a reference to a metalworker's occupation. The name was first recorded in County Down, Ulster, in the early 13th century.
The earliest known bearer of the Guinness surname was Ranaulf de Engaine, who was listed in the Chartularies of St. Mary's Abbey in Dublin in 1207. Over time, the spelling evolved from Engaine to Gingen, Gyngen, and eventually Guinness.
In the 14th century, the Guinness family gained prominence in County Wexford, where they held lands and estates. One notable member was Sir Walter Guinness, who served as the Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1376.
During the 16th century, the Guinness name appeared in various records and documents, including the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns and the Annals of the Four Masters. In 1553, a John Guinness was mentioned in the Fiants as being granted lands in County Wicklow.
The most famous bearer of the Guinness surname was Arthur Guinness, who was born in 1725 in County Kildare. In 1759, he founded the iconic Guinness Brewery in St. James's Gate, Dublin, which became a global success and cemented the family's legacy. Arthur Guinness passed away in 1803.
Another notable Guinness was Edward Cecil Guinness, 1st Earl of Iveagh, who was born in 1847 and played a significant role in the expansion and modernization of the Guinness Brewery. He was also a prominent philanthropist and art collector. He died in 1927.
Walter Edward Guinness, 1st Baron Moyne, was a British diplomat and politician born in 1880. He served as the Secretary of State for the Colonies and was assassinated in 1944 during his tenure as the British Resident Minister in Cairo.
The Guinness name has been associated with several place names in Ireland, such as Guinness Bridge in County Wexford and Guinness Square in Dublin, further solidifying its connection to the country's history and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Guinness
Among Census respondents with the surname Guinness, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Guinness 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 Guinness surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.0% · 139
- Black or African American7.0% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 4
- Two or more races2.5% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Guinness
Guinness 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
#111,988
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 157
+40 bearers (+34.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 21,126 places
2020
#116,774
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 158
+1 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,786 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #111,988 | 157 | 0.05 | +40 bearers (+34.2%) | Up 21,126 places |
| 2020 | #116,774 | 158 | 0.05 | +1 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 4,786 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 Guinness 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 | #111,988 | #116,774 | -4.3% |
| Count | 157 | 158 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | 5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Guinness bearers went from 157 to 158 (+0.6% change). The surname moved down 4,786 positions in the national ranking, going from #111,988 to #116,774.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Guinness
FAQ
Guinness surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Guinness?
Name Census estimates that about 181 living Americans carry the surname Guinness. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,893,670 residents.
How common is Guinness?
Guinness ranks #116,774 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 158 people with the surname Guinness. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (181), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Guinness.
Has Guinness become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Guinness went from 157 recorded bearers to 158. That is an increase of 1 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #111,988 to #116,774.
What does the Census say about the background of Guinness?
Among Census respondents with the surname Guinness, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.0%. The next largest groups are Black (7.0%) 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 Guinness in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.0% (139 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Guinness appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.0%), Black (7.0%), 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 Guinness (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 Guinness mean?
An English surname originating as a nickname from the Gaelic word meaning "brown-haired". 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 Guinness (0.05 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 Guinness?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.