2010
#93,125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 197
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.07
Very Rare Last name
Gure
A Basque surname meaning "ours" or "our people".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 353 Americans carry the last name Gure. That puts it at #68,789 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 970,975 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gure 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
353
1 in 970,975
Census rank
#68,789
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
308
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 308 bearers of the surname Gure in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 68789th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gure, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.8%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gure
The surname GURE originated in the Basque region, spanning parts of northern Spain and southwestern France. It is believed to have its roots in the ancient Basque language, which predates the Romance languages of the area. The name is thought to be derived from the Basque word "gura," meaning "desire" or "will."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname GURE can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a 10th-century manuscript from the Monastery of San Millán de la Cogolla in La Rioja, Spain. The document mentions a person named "Lope Gure" in the year 964.
In the 12th century, the name GURE appeared in the Codex Calixtinus, a medieval manuscript that served as a guide for pilgrims traveling the Camino de Santiago (Way of St. James). The document refers to a place called "Villa Gure" along the pilgrimage route, suggesting the surname may have originated from a place name.
Notable individuals with the surname GURE throughout history include:
1. Juan Gure (c. 1420-1492), a Basque merchant and explorer who traveled to the Americas in the late 15th century, predating Christopher Columbus's voyages.
2. Catalina Gure (1525-1589), a Basque poet and writer known for her works in the Basque language during the Renaissance period.
3. Martín Gure (1598-1661), a Spanish military officer who served in the Thirty Years' War and participated in the Battle of Nördlingen in 1634.
4. María Gure (1670-1728), a Basque painter and portraitist active in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, known for her works depicting religious scenes and noble figures.
5. Ignacio Gure (1789-1867), a Basque politician and activist who played a role in the First Carlist War, a civil conflict in Spain over the issue of succession to the throne.
While the surname GURE is relatively uncommon today, it remains a part of the rich cultural heritage of the Basque people, with roots stretching back centuries into the linguistic and historical tapestry of the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gure
Among Census respondents with the surname Gure, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.8%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Gure 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 Gure surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.6% · 276
- White8.8% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 4
- Two or more races0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gure
Gure appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#68,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 308
+111 bearers (+56.3%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Up 24,336 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #93,125 | 197 | 0.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #68,789 | 308 | 0.10 | +111 bearers (+56.3%) | Up 24,336 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 Gure 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 | #93,125 | #68,789 | 26.1% |
| Count | 197 | 308 | 56.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.10 | 47.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gure bearers went from 197 to 308 (+56.3% change). The surname moved up 24,336 positions in the national ranking, going from #93,125 to #68,789.
FAQ
Gure surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gure?
Name Census estimates that about 353 living Americans carry the surname Gure. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 970,975 residents.
How common is Gure?
Gure ranks #68,789 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 308 people with the surname Gure. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (353), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Gure.
Has Gure become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gure went from 197 recorded bearers to 308. That is an increase of 111 (+56.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #93,125 to #68,789.
What does the Census say about the background of Gure?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gure, the largest self-reported group is Black at 89.6%. The next largest groups are White (8.8%) and Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Gure in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (276 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gure appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (89.6%), White (8.8%), Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Gure (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 Gure mean?
A Basque surname meaning "ours" or "our people". 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 Gure (0.10 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 have the last name Gure?
If you just want to know how common the surname Gure is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.