Find out how popular the last name Gurd is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Gurd.

Gurd, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Gurd surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gurd in America

Gurd is the 104602nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gurd surname appeared 171 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Gurd.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gurd to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Gurd

The surname Gurd has its origins in the Shetland Islands, an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland. The name is believed to have derived from the Old Norse word "gyrðr," which means "enclosure" or "fenced area." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or owned an enclosure or fenced property.

Historically, the Gurd surname can be traced back to the late 15th century in Shetland. One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name is found in the Court Book of Shetland in 1499, where a person named William Gurd is listed as a witness in a legal case.

In the 16th century, the Gurd family was well-established in the Shetland Islands, particularly in the parish of Nesting. Records from this period mention individuals such as Andro Gurd, who lived in Nesting in the 1570s, and Magnus Gurd, a landowner in the same area in the late 1500s.

As the Gurd family spread beyond Shetland, variations in the spelling of the name emerged. In the 17th century, records from the Orkney Islands show the surname spelled as "Goord" and "Gord," likely influenced by the local dialects and pronunciations.

One notable individual with the Gurd surname was Robert Gurd, born in Shetland in 1683. He was a merchant and trader who became involved in the controversial Darien Scheme, a failed attempt by the Kingdom of Scotland to establish a colony on the Isthmus of Panama in the late 17th century.

In the 18th century, the Gurd family continued to be prominent in Shetland. James Gurd (1707-1784) was a respected landowner and merchant who served as a Baillie (magistrate) in the town of Lerwick. His son, Robert Gurd (1741-1815), followed in his footsteps as a successful merchant and held various positions in local government.

As the Industrial Revolution progressed, some members of the Gurd family migrated to other parts of the United Kingdom and beyond. In the 19th century, William Gurd (1808-1882) was a notable entrepreneur and industrialist from Shetland who established a successful textile manufacturing business in Paisley, Scotland.

Another individual of note was Sir Samuel Thomas Gurd (1863-1937), a Canadian businessman and philanthropist. Born in Shetland, he emigrated to Canada and became a prominent figure in the mining and transportation industries, ultimately being knighted for his contributions to the country's economic development.

While the Gurd surname may have originated in the remote Shetland Islands, its bearers have left their mark across various regions and industries throughout history, reflecting the diverse journeys and accomplishments of this family name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gurd

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Gurd.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Gurd was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Gurd has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Gurd was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Gurd, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!