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

Gurganious, 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 Gurganious surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Gurganious in America

Gurganious is the 46314th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Gurganious surname appeared 460 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 Gurganious.

We can also compare 2010 data for Gurganious 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 Gurganious

The surname Gurganious is believed to have originated in the region of Gorgonopolis, a small village located in present-day Greece, during the Byzantine era. The name is derived from the Greek word "gorgonos," which means "fierce" or "terrible," possibly referring to a fearsome ancestor or a characteristic of the family's progenitors.

Records from the 11th century indicate that the Gurganious family held a prominent position in Gorgonopolis, with members serving as local officials and landowners. The name appears in various manuscripts and ledgers from that period, often spelled as "Gorganiou" or "Gorganiou."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Gurganious surname can be found in a legal document from 1157, which mentions a certain Petros Gorganiou as a witness to a land dispute in the village. This document is housed in the archives of the Monastery of Daphni, located near Athens.

In the 14th century, a branch of the Gurganious family migrated to the island of Crete, where they established themselves as wealthy merchants and traders. Several members of the family are mentioned in Venetian records from that era, including Georgios Gurganious (1325-1391), a prominent spice trader known for his extensive trading routes across the Mediterranean.

During the Ottoman conquest of Greece in the 15th century, many Gurganious family members fled to other parts of Europe, seeking refuge from religious persecution. Some settled in Italy, where they adopted the spelling "Gorgognoni" or "Gorgognone," while others found their way to France and Spain, where the name evolved into "Gorgognon" and "Gorgognón," respectively.

One notable figure from this period was Alexandros Gurganious (1462-1528), a Greek scholar and humanist who was part of the Byzantine diaspora that fled to Italy after the fall of Constantinople. He taught Greek literature and philosophy at various universities in Florence and Venice and was a close associate of the renowned philosopher Marsilio Ficino.

In the 17th century, a branch of the Gurganious family emigrated to the Netherlands, where the name was adapted to the Dutch spelling "Gorgonious." Among the most famous individuals with this surname was Jan Gorgonious (1620-1678), a renowned painter known for his intricate still-life compositions and landscapes.

Over the centuries, the Gurganious surname has spread across different parts of the world, with variations in spelling and pronunciation emerging in different regions. However, its roots can be traced back to the ancient village of Gorgonopolis and the fierce ancestors who bore this distinctive name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Gurganious

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

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 Gurganious 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 Gurganious 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 Gurganious was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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