2000
#8,097
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,772
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.40
Rare Last name
Gulledge
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "gulley edge" or "ravine edge."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,102 Americans carry the last name Gulledge. That puts it at #8,798 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,558 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gulledge 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
4.1K
1 in 83,558
Census rank
#8,798
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,577 bearers of the surname Gulledge in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8798th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gulledge, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gulledge
The surname Gulledge is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the county of Devon. It is thought to have derived from a place name, possibly from the Anglo-Saxon words "gull" meaning a small stream or rivulet, and "edge" referring to a ridge or steep slope. This suggests the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a small stream or on a ridge.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Devon from 1242, where a William de Gulledge is mentioned. The prefix "de" indicates the name was likely derived from a place name at that time. Similar spellings from historical records include Gollygge, Golidge, and Gullige.
In the 14th century, there are references to a John Gulledge who was a landowner in the parish of Sampford Peverell in Devon. Records also show a Thomas Gulledge who was a vicar in the nearby parish of Uplowman in 1444.
One notable bearer of the name was Sir John Gulledge, a respected lawyer and judge who lived in the 16th century. He served as a Justice of the King's Bench during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
Another prominent individual was Thomas Gulledge, born in 1685, who was a renowned clockmaker and horologist from Exeter, Devon. He is credited with creating some of the finest clocks and timepieces of his era.
In the late 17th century, a branch of the Gulledge family emigrated to America, settling in Virginia. One of the earliest recorded instances is William Gulledge, who was born in Virginia in 1698.
John Gulledge, born in 1745 in North Carolina, served as a soldier in the American Revolutionary War and fought in several key battles against the British.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Gulledge name continued to spread across various parts of the United States, particularly in the southern states.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gulledge
Among Census respondents with the surname Gulledge, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Gulledge 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 Gulledge surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.4% · 2,949
- Black or African American10.3% · 368
- Two or more races3.9% · 141
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 79
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gulledge
Gulledge 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
#8,631
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,810
+38 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 534 places
2020
#8,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,577
-233 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 167 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,097 | 3,772 | 1.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,631 | 3,810 | 1.29 | +38 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 534 places |
| 2020 | #8,798 | 3,577 | 1.20 | -233 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 167 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 Gulledge 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 | #8,631 | #8,798 | -1.9% |
| Count | 3,810 | 3,577 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.20 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gulledge bearers went from 3,810 to 3,577 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 167 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,631 to #8,798.
FAQ
Gulledge surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gulledge?
Name Census estimates that about 4,102 living Americans carry the surname Gulledge. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,558 residents.
How common is Gulledge?
Gulledge ranks #8,798 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,577 people with the surname Gulledge. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,102), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Gulledge.
Has Gulledge become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gulledge went from 3,810 recorded bearers to 3,577. That is a decrease of 233 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,631 to #8,798.
What does the Census say about the background of Gulledge?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gulledge, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.3%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Gulledge in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.4% (2,949 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gulledge appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.4%), Black (10.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Gulledge (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 Gulledge mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "gulley edge" or "ravine edge." 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 Gulledge (1.20 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 Gulledge?
You can see how common the surname Gulledge is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.